Hands down the best paella I have ever eaten! I'm definitely going to make each and every recipe in Jacques Pépin's "Fast Food My Way" and "More Fast Food My Way" cookbooks. I have been thrilled with every recipe (and techniques). I had a tough time, however, finding authentic Spanish dried chorizo, rice, and saffron, so I ordered from Amazon Prime and wasn't sorry! Starting with quality ingredients is key. You don't need a paella pan for this, and you don't have to cook it on the grill outdoors. I used a large, nonstick fry pan with lid and cooked on the stovetop.
Serve this amazing dish with Gazpacho and Pineapple in Dark Rum Sauce accompanied by a good Spanish red wine.
Recipe
3 T. olive oil
1 chorizo sausage (about 1/4 lb.), skinned and cut into 12 slices
4 small skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb. total)
1 c. diced (1/2-inch) white mushrooms
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
1 T. coarsely chopped garlic
1-1/4 c. short-grain rice (Spanish, Italian, French, Asian or American)
1 c. alcaparrado, drained and rinsed under cold water, or a mixture of equal parts diced green olives, red pimiento, capers, and garlic
1 c. canned diced tomatoes in sauce
1-1/2 tsp. saffron
1/3 c. hot salsa
1-1/4 c. chicken stock, homemade, or low-salt canned chicken broth
1-1/4 tsp. salt
20 mussels (about 14 oz. total), washed and debearded
5 large sea scallops (about 6 oz. total), rinsed under cold water to remove any sand
12 uncooked large shrimp (about 1/2 lb. total), with shells left on
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chorizo and chicken and brown over high to medium heat for 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic, and cook for 1 minute. (The recipe can be prepared to this point a couple of hours ahead.)
About 30 minutes before serving time, reheat the mixture until it sizzles. Add the rice to the pan and mix well. Stir in the alcaparrado, tomatoes, saffron, hot salsa, chicken stock and salt. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 12 minutes.
Add the mussels, scallops and shrimp to the pan, placing them on top of the rice without stirring them in. Cover, increase the heat to medium and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Add the peas, cover and cook for 3 minutes longer. Stir well and divide among four warm plates.
– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"
