Paella
My paella is not traditionally Spanish. It is more like a Portuguese dish in the sense that it combines seafood and meat. But I’ve been making it for years and it is a family favorite—one that, I might add, I often serve to guests. Served with crusty bread, a simple green salad and some good white wine, it makes a perfect Friday night dinner with friends. Gluten-Free Friendly
Large skillet or paella pan
1 red bell pepper, roasted (see Tips, page 166 in book)
4 cups chicken stock
1/8 tsp saffron, crumbled
2 tbsp olive oil 30 mL
1 lb thinly sliced pork butt or tenderloin
8 oz fresh (uncooked) chorizo sausage, casings removed
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 tsp sweet paprika
11/2 cups medium-grain rice (see Tips, above)
1/2 cup dry white wine 125 mL
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) diced tomatoes, with juice
2 lbs fresh clams (approx.), see Tips, above
1/4 cup butter
24 large shrimp (approx.), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1. Seed and peel roasted red pepper and cut into thin strips.
2. In a large saucepan, combine stock and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to use.
3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add pork, in batches if necessary, and cook, stirring, until just a hint of pink remains in center. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a plate and set aside. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
4. Add chorizo and onion to skillet and cook, stirring, until chorizo is no longer pink. Add half of the garlic and the paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add rice and stir until well coated. Add wine and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and juice, and stock mixture. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring, until liquid just covers the top of the rice. Stir in reserved pork.
5. Arrange roasted red pepper strips over rice. Arrange clams on top. Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake until clams open, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Keep warm, discarding any clams that have not opened.
6. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shrimp and remaining garlic and cook, stirring, until shrimp are pink. Arrange shrimp over rice mixture. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Tip
If you are serving this dish to someone who is sensitive to gluten, check the label on your chorizo. Wheat products are often added to sausage as filler. They can also be hiding in stock, so it pays to check.
Makes 6 servings
Tips
The best rice for making paella is Bomba; Valencia or Calasparra are good substitutes. In a pinch, use Arborio. Do not substitute long-grain rice, which isn’t starchy enough.
Ideally, you will want 3 to 4 cherrystone clams per person, but I have made delicious iterations of this dish using 6 to 8 much smaller clams per person. You can eyeball the quantity with your fishmonger and adjust to suit your taste. The quantity of clams you use will not affect the results.
