Recipe of the Week

Perfect Paella

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (bone out)
• 1 1/2 lbs Chorizo Sausage (casings removed)
• 1 lbs Cooked lobster meat, shredded (optional)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 1T Parsley
• 2T Cilantro
• 1T lemon zest
• ½ lb. calamari rings
• ½ lb. med. shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 8 mussels (optional)
• 8 clams (optional
• 8 scallops (optional)
• 1 t salt
• 1 t Cayenne
• 1 t Paprika
• 1 teaspoons saffron threads (steep in 1T water)
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup peas
• 3 cups long grain rice
• 6 cups chicken stock (or water)
• 6 wedges lemon

1. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Place chicken thighs skin-side down into oil and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes; remove and set aside.
2. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes. Add cayenne, paprika, chorizo, green and red bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
3. Add parsley, cilantro, lemon zest, shrimp, calamari and stir.
4. Immediately stir in salt, saffron (w/ water), tomatoes, peas, rice, and water until well combined.
5. Slice and add chicken pieces; simmer for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to make sure rice does not stick.
6. Stir in shredded lobster and decoratively nestle mussels and clams into rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Place the scallops into the paella, recover, and continue simmering until the rice is tender and the scallops firm and opaque, about 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

This Paella is a perfect summer meal. Its use of fresh summer ingredients makes its flavor even more authentic and delicious. There are many ingredients in this that are optional due to price and availability. This is a great meal for a dinner party, grill out or even a romantic dinner for two. Whatever the occasion this delicacy is sure to please.

Note: Play around with the ingredients! You can use any combination of the proteins in this recipe in different amounts to create your perfect Paella.