The Quintessential Grace - Paella

Dear Sara, This is such a happy occasion and I am truly looking forward to celebrating with you. We’ve been asked to give you our favorite recipe. You may or may not know that I don’t cook at all, though my mother – your grandmother, was a wonderful cook. My kids will tell you Fruit Loops was a favorite dinner and in the winter I would heat the milk and that was their “hot meal”. But I had an idea. I thought of a recipe that is great for entertaining (especially in the Hamptons) and has some very special meaning for me (and I hope, for you). Your grandmother was known for making enormous quantities of Paella especially in the summer when we had the “cousins club” parties in our back yard. You, of all the grandchildren, may have some true memories of her and how much she adored you so I thought for you to have one of her recipes might be something special for your bridal shower. She hung the recipe, which was on cloth, in our kitchen. I wish I had that, it reminds me so much of my growing up – I would have happily given it to you, but, I don’t. So, I’ve cheated a bit and found one online that looked a little like hers. I’ve never cooked it myself, but no one made it better than she did and it reminds me so much of her. I can picture her preparing it all day, and serving it in a bright red dish as clearly as if it was yesterday. So, here is (renamed) The Quintessential Grace - Paella Love always, Claudia

ingredients

Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch saffron threads
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 lobster tails
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving

directions

1
Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2
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.
3
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.
4
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.
5
Spice Mix for chicken:
6
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
7
2 teaspoons dried oregano
8
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
9
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered