Hunter Mountain Paella Recipes

HUNTER'S PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in saute pan. Add rabbit and brown. Stir in sherry, cover and place in oven 20 minutes, until rabbit is cooked. Remove meat from pan and allow to cool.
• Add stock to cooking liquid from rabbit. Add saffron, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
• Heat remaining oil in 17-inch paella pan over medium heat. You may have to place pan on two burners, or use two smaller pans. Add quails and brown. Set aside. Add onion, green and red pepper, garlic, bay leaf and herb sprigs to pan. Cook very slowly, stirring from time to time, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, remove rabbit meat from bones in large chunks.
• Add paprika and tomatoes to paella pan and cook until most liquid in pan has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add rice and saute briefly. Add stock to pan, stir and simmer 10 minutes. Tuck pieces of rabbit, quail and duck into rice. Place in oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove, cover loosely with foil and set aside 10 minutes. Strew with parsley and serve.

SPANISH-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage and chicken in oil for 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain if necessary. , Stir in rice and onion. Cook until onion is tender and rice is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the broth, tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, salt and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 10 minutes. , Stir in the shrimp, peppers and peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer or until rice is tender, shrimp turn pink and liquid is absorbed. Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.

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.

CHICKEN PAELLA

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large enameled cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, and add the oil. Mix the chili powder, cumin and coriander together in a bowl. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and the spice mixture. Add the chicken to the pot, skin-side down, and sear until the skin is golden brown; flip, and sear for another 3 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs to a small baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove and let rest.
• For the rice: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in the pot that was used for the chicken. Add the onions, peppers, celery, marjoram and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions become translucent, then add the garlic; cook for another 3 minutes. Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
• Let the rice sit for at least 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Add the cilantro, and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Garnish with avocado and olives.

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Fry the onion in the oil in a 16-inch paella pan until soft, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, and before it begins to color, add the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt to taste, pimentón (or paprika), and saffron, stir well, and cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a jammy sauce and the oil is sizzling. Add the squid and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Add the rice and stir well until all the grains are coated. (You can prepare the dish to this point up to an hour in advance.)
• Bring the stock and wine to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over the rice, bring to a boil, and add salt to taste (even if the broth tastes a bit salty, it will not be salty when it is absorbed by the rice). Stir well and spread the rice out evenly in the pan (do not stir again). Cook the rice over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, moving the pan around and rotating it so that the rice cooks evenly. Lay the shrimp on top after 10 minutes and turn them when they have become pink on the first side. Add a little more hot stock toward the end if the rice seems too dry and you hear crackly frying noises before it is done. When the rice is done, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a large piece of foil.
• Steam the mussels with a finger of water in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. As soon as they open, they are cooked. Throw away any that have not opened.
• Arrange the mussels on top of the paella.

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.

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.

CHICKEN PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute the chicken, ham, onion and red pepper in 2 teaspoons oil until chicken is browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. , In the same skillet, saute rice in remaining 1 teaspoon oil until lightly browned. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, garlic and salt. Return meat and vegetables to pan; toss lightly. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir in peas.