Paella Mixto
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 1/2 tsp Saffron Threads
- 2 Cup valencia (aka bomba) rice or a suitable substitute
- 2 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
- 1 Cup Dry White wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc preferably)
- 3 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1/2 Cup Cubed Bell Peppers (Preferably not green)
- 1/2 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken
- 1/2 Lb Chourico Sausage
- 8 to 12 large Shrimp (16/20 or larger)
- 8 to 12 large Sea scallops (Size 20/30 or larger)
- 1 Lb Mussels in the shell
- 2 Cups green beans, cut smaller if large (haricots vert are more uniform, but not necessary)
- 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallions
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- olive oil for cooking
- Juice and zest of one medium lemon
Instructions
- Prep your meats, seafood, and vegetables: Dice onion and tomato. Chop the garlic and herbs. Cut down the beans if they are too long. You want fork friendly pieces. Peel and de-vein shrimp if necessary. Remove mussel from scallops if they have them. Clean and de-beard mussels. Cut the chicken and chourico into 1 inch cubes. If you are using arborio or risotto rice, rinse it and drain well.
- Bring stock to a simmer in a pot on a side or back burner.
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a paella pan or "rondeau". Add in onion and garlic. Cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the saffron, and stir. Let it "bloom". You will smell the aroma and see the color spread. Add the Chicken and chourico. Heat at least a minute on one side to get a crust. Stir, and continue cooking. Add the rice and stir to coat the kernels evenly. Add in a little salt and pepper at this time. You can add more later. Add the wine. Stir, and bring the rice to a simmer. Then, add in 1/2 of the tomato. And, begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time. Stir to keep from sticking.
- In a separate saute pan, heat a little olive oil over high heat. Sear the shrimp and scallops about a minute per side. They will be mostly cooked. But still raw in the middle. Transfer them to the paella. Add in the mussels and remaining tomatoes, and continue adding the stock. Stir the rice with a wooden spoon to keep it cooking evenly and prevent sticking.
- Once the mussels open, they are done. They liquid should be evaporated and rice cooked at this point. Check a couple kernels to confirm. It should take all the liquid. Add more if necessary. Adjust your seasoning. And, fold in the beans and herbs. The heat from the pan should cook them, while maintaining the green color. If you want them cooked more, add them in with the mussels. Serve straight from the pan.
Notes
As mentioned in the post, the type of rice is important. You want a short grain rice that can absorb a good amount of liquid while maintaining its integrity. If you use a risotto rice, it is best to rinse before using to remove the extra starch. The starch will make it sticky. Paella is supposed to be clearly separate grains. When you rinse, be sure to drain thoroughly. I like to dry it further in an oven as well. This will give it a slightly nutty flavor and maintain the integrity of the rice better.
You want the stock to be hot when you add it. If it is cold or room temp, it will retard the cooking process as you add it in. Once you start cooking the rice, you want to maintain an even temperature. Otherwise it's like cooling it down every time you add the stock. This can result in uneven cooking, so some rice may still be raw and others overcooked.
We did the shrimp and scallops separately because we like a bit of a crust on them. You could also par cook them in the pan with the chicken, remove them, and add back in later. Or you could just add in during the stock adding stages with the mussels. They don't take long to cook. And, if overcooked, they become rubbery.
Chourico is a spicy sausage. There are Portuguese, Spanish, and South American versions. It is also called Chorizo. If you don't want the spice, you could use a milder sausage like linguica.