Partypaella Recipes

AUTHENTIC PAELLA

Steps:

• Rinse the rice with cold water; drain; set aside. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm. Work the garlic, parsley, curry powder, saffron threads, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock together with a mortar and pestle until a smooth liquid forms; set the seasoning liquid aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the chicken, shrimp, lobster, and clams; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Pour in the seasoning liquid.
• Stir in the rice, pour in the hot chicken stock, and simmer until the rice is nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, peas, and mussels; stir two times, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until rice is soft and flaky, about 7 minutes.

PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In skillet add 1 tbsp oil, sauté chorizo until fat is rendered, remove.
• Add more oil, add chicken brown on both sides, remove.
• Heat chicken broth w/saffron, set aside.
• Add oil, onions, garlic, sauté until softened, add rice, stir to coat.
• Add wine, stir, add broth and spices, bring to boil, stirring.
• Let liquid reduce slightly, add peas, pimentos; stir.
• Add chicken, chorizo and stir.
• Place in oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Add shrimp and mussels, stir, heat 10 minutes more until all liquid is absorbed.
• Remove mussels that don't open.
• Garnish with parsley.

PAELLA ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Light several chimney starters filled with charcoal and let burn until the briquettes are covered with gray ash. Put the charcoal in the center of the bottom of a large kettle grill, place the grate on and cover the grill. Let heat for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Brush the chicken with some of the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin-side down on the cooler part of the grill (the outer rim), to cook indirectly and slowly, and put the lid on. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides and almost completely cooked through, about 12 minutes for breasts and 15 minutes for thighs and wings. Remove to a sheet pan. Cut the breasts into 3 or 4 pieces.
• Combine the chicken stock and saffron in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, either on the hot part of the grill or on a burner. Add the clams, cover and cook until the clams open, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the clams to a bowl. Add the mussels to the broth, cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Discard any shellfish that don't open.
• Brush the shrimp, the cut sides of the lobsters, scallops, and cut sides of the lemons with some of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides. Grill the shrimp for about 1 minute per side. Grill the lobster cut-side down until charred and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the claws and the tails but leave the shells on; discard the bodies. Grill the scallops until slightly charred and almost cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Grill the lemon cut-side down until charred, about 45 seconds. Remove all ingredients to sheet pans.
• Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large paella pan over direct heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Begin adding the stock 1 cup at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is al dente, about 25 minutes.
• Arrange the chicken, clams mussels, shrimp, scallop, peas, lobster and piquillo peppers in the rice. Squeeze the juice from 4 of the lemon halves over the top, and nestle the 4 other halves in the rice. Scatter the parsley over the top. Stir gently to bring some of the rice up from the bottom, and serve.

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.

BEST PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook turkey and chorizo in oil in batches until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. , In the same skillet, saute onions and red pepper until tender. Add garlic and cayenne; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato puree and wine. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Transfer to a stock pot. Stir in the water, rice, broth, salt, thyme, saffron, bay leaf, turkey and chorizo. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. , Add shrimp; cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from the heat; discard bay leaf. Stir in olives and parsley.

EASY PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Disjoint the chicken wings, discarding the wing tips or reserving them for making stock. Place the remaining wing pieces in a large bowl. Mix three tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and cumin. Season this mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken wings, cover and allow to marinate one to four hours.
• Up to two hours before serving time, steam the mussels. Bring the wine to a simmer in a large pot, add the mussels, cover tightly and cook over medium heat until they open, about 10 minutes. Leave the mussels in the covered pan until shortly before serving time.
• Saute the chorizos over medium heat in a six-quart casserole until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the casserole, draining them well, and set them aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Leave the fat in the casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole.
• Add the onions and peppers to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, then add the oregano. Stir in the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Remove the casserole from the heat.
• Drain the canned tomatoes, pricking them to drain the liquid inside. Reserve all the tomato liquid and chop the tomatoes fine. Stir the chopped tomatoes in with the rice.
• Measure the reserved tomato liquid. You should have about a cup and a half. Add a little water if necessary to make this amount. Place the tomato liquid in a saucepan along with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron, remove from the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cooled chorizo into rounds a half-inch thick.
• Place the casserole over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pieces of chorizo, then stir in the tomato and chicken stock seasoned with the saffron. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done, which should take about 20 minutes. Set aside, covered for at least 20 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, remove the shrimps from the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
• Preheat a broiler. Place the marinated chicken wings on a broiling pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn them once during the cooking. Transfer them to a large platter or bowl, cover with foil and set aside.
• To serve, spoon the rice gently into one or more large mixing bowls to fluff it. Do not fill the bowls more than half full or you will have rice all over the floor. Taste the rice for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary, so that the seasoning will need no further adjusting.
• Gently fold the capers, parsley, shrimp and chicken wings in with the rice.
• Warm a large serving platter or shallow bowl. Even a big paella pan can be used as a serving dish. Transfer some or all of the paella to the platter or bowl. If there is not enough room for all the paella on one platter, you can use two platters or keep some of the paella reserved in the kitchen for refilling the platter.
• Briefly reheat the mussels in their broth, then arrange them, in their shells, around the edge of the platter, alternating them with the lemon wedges. Place the platter on the buffet table along with serving spoons. After all the guests have served themselves, rearrange the paella on the platter, refilling the platter, if necessary, or transferring the remaining paella to a smaller platter so it continues to look attractive.

PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Disjoint the chicken wings, discarding the wing tips or reserving them for making stock. Place the remaining wing pieces in a large bowl. Mix three tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and cumin. Season this mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken wings, cover and allow to marinate one to four hours.
• Up to two hours before serving time, steam the mussels. Bring the wine to a simmer in a large pot, add the mussels, cover tightly and cook over medium heat until they open, about 10 minutes. Leave the mussels in the covered pan until shortly before serving time.
• Saute the chorizos over medium heat in a six-quart casserole until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the casserole, draining them well, and set them aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Leave the fat in the casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole.
• Add the onions and peppers to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, then add the oregano. Stir in the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Remove the casserole from the heat.
• Drain the canned tomatoes, pricking them to drain the liquid inside. Reserve all the tomato liquid and chop the tomatoes fine. Stir the chopped tomatoes in with the rice.
• Measure the reserved tomato liquid. You should have about a cup and a half. Add a little water if necessary to make this amount. Place the tomato liquid in a saucepan along with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron, remove from the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cooled chorizo into rounds a half-inch thick.
• Place the casserole over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pieces of chorizo, then stir in the tomato and chicken stock seasoned with the saffron. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done, which should take about 20 minutes. Set aside, covered for at least 20 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, remove the shrimps from the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
• Preheat a broiler. Place the marinated chicken wings on a broiling pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn them once during the cooking. Transfer them to a large platter or bowl, cover with foil and set aside.
• To serve, spoon the rice gently into one or more large mixing bowls to fluff it. Do not fill the bowls more than half full or you will have rice all over the floor. Taste the rice for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary, so that the seasoning will need no further adjusting.
• Gently fold the capers, parsley, shrimp and chicken wings in with the rice.
• Warm a large serving platter or shallow bowl. Even a big paella pan can be used as a serving dish. Transfer some or all of the paella to the platter or bowl. If there is not enough room for all the paella on one platter, you can use two platters or keep some of the paella reserved in the kitchen for refilling the platter.
• Briefly reheat the mussels in their broth, then arrange them, in their shells, around the edge of the platter, alternating them with the lemon wedges. Place the platter on the buffet table along with serving spoons. After all the guests have served themselves, rearrange the paella on the platter, refilling the platter, if necessary, or transferring the remaining paella to a smaller platter so it continues to look attractive.

BIRTHDAY PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages and sauté until cooked through, turning often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add chicken, skin side down, to pot. Cover and cook until brown, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to bowl with sausages. Add onions and 10 chopped garlic cloves to pot; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves; stir 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini and bell peppers. Transfer to another large bowl.
• Toss shrimp with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1 minced garlic clove and generous pinch of saffron in medium bowl. (Chicken-sausage mixture, vegetable mixture and shrimp mixture can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush one 18 x 12 x 2 1/4-inch roasting pan with olive oil. Mix rice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into vegetable mixture. Spread rice mixture evenly in prepared pan. Cut sausages diagonally into 1-inch slices. Using wooden spoon, push sausage and chicken pieces into rice mixture; pour any juices from bowl over. Bring 5 cups chicken broth, paprika and remaining 1/4 teaspoon saffron to boil in medium saucepan. Pour evenly over rice mixture. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Bake until rice is almost tender, about 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle shrimp mixture with salt and pepper. Arrange atop rice mixture. Cover pan with foil; bake until shrimp are opaque in center, rice is tender and most of liquid in pan is absorbed, about 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley. Spoon paella onto plates and serve.

SUNDAY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook and stir chicken in oil over medium heat until no longer pink. Add sausage and onion; cook 3-4 minutes longer. Add the rice, Italian seasoning, turmeric and pepper; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until rice is lightly browned., Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 14-18 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Stir in the shrimp, tomatoes, peas and sugar; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.