QUICK AND EASY PAELLA

Quick and Easy Paella image

Consider this a gateway paella and the first step to a serious, lifelong addiction. When I first do a version of a classic dish like paella, I try to use a minimum number of ingredients and steps to focus on technique. After learning the method, you'll ideally use a wider variety of ingredients, like clams, mussels, squid, and chicken, which will make your rice that much more interesting. Garnish with extra virgin olive oil, freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, and lemon wedges.

Provided by Chef John

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Spanish

Time 1h10m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon saffron threads, or more to taste
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced into thin rounds
½ yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ⅓ cups Arborio rice
½ cup green peas
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
salt to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Steps:

Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes.
Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.
Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.
Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.
Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 476.4 calories, Carbohydrate 46.9 g, Cholesterol 150.2 mg, Fat 19.3 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 26.4 g, SaturatedFat 6.2 g, Sodium 975.1 mg, Sugar 2.7 g