Best Mountain Style Paella Recipes

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

HUNTER MOUNTAIN PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut sausage in chunks and brown in HUGE skillet or paella pan on top of stove in hot oil. (You must use a pan with a lid that can go in the oven).
• Remove sausage from pan and add chicken parts, and brown on both sides. I usually use thighs. Meat doesn't need to be cooked through, only browned on the outside.
• Remove from pan and set aside.
• Chop onion and green pepper and garlic and saute until soft, in same pan, don't brown. Turn off heat.
• Add chopped tomato, rice, saffron, ham, sausages, chicken, salt and chicken broth and stir.
• Top with clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster tails (cut in two, if desired). Make sure clams and mussels are closed tightly. Discard any that won't close on their own when tapped.
• Cover pan and put in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through.
• Add peas and pimento about 5 minutes before taking out of oven. Discard any clams or mussels that don't open.

PERFECT PAELLA

Steps:

• In a very wide pan or paella pan, preheated over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, add rice and saute 2 or 3 minutes. Add saffron threads, bay leaf, broth, and thyme and bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with lid or foil and reduce heat to simmer.
• In a separate nonstick skillet, over medium high heat brown chicken on both sides in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add peppers and onions to the pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Add chorizo to the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.
• After about 13 minutes, add shellfish to the rice pan, nesting them in cooking rice. Pour in peas, scatter lemon zest over the rice and seafood, then cover the pan again. After 5 minutes, remove cover or foil from the paella and discard any unopened mussel shells. Stir rice and seafood mixture and lift out bay and thyme stems, now bare of their leaves. Arrange cooked chicken and peppers, onions and chorizo around the pan. Top with parsley and scallions. Serve with wedges of lemon and warm bread.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (190 degrees C/gas 5.) Remove the end bits of bone from the chicken legs, then cut them in half. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Coat all the chicken pieces with flour and salt and pepper. Put some oil in a hot large flat pan and brown the chicken legs and thighs, skin side down, turning them to brown them all over. Transfer them to a small roasting tray and continue to cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes
• Add the chicken fillets to the pan and let them brown, then add the chorizo slices. Lay the slices of pancetta over the top. Once crisp, turn the heat down, add the onion and garlic to the pan, and allow to soften. Pour the infused saffron and some of the stock into the pan, and add the smoked paprika and rice, stirring continuously.
• Finely chop the parsley stalks and add to the pan. When the rice is almost cooked, add the peas, mussels, prawns and squid, adding more stock if necessary. Cover the pan with foil. When the chicken is cooked, add it to the pan, then add a large handful of chopped parsley leaves. Check the seasoning. Cut the lemon into wedges, place around the edge of the pan, and serve.

MOUNTAIN-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• Cut 1 bell pepper lengthwise into thin strips. Chop second pepper; reserve. Heat oil in heavy 14-inch skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper strips; sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer pepper strips to bowl; reserve. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook until brown on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add sausage to skillet; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate with chicken.
• Pour off all but 6 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet; sauté over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and chopped bell pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until almost all liquid evaporates, about 35 minutes.
• Add green beans and next 7 ingredients to skillet. Stir in rice, chicken, sausage and 6 cups hot broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked, adding more broth if mixture seems dry, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Top with pepper strips. Garnish with lemon.