Among the recent dishes I've whipped up is a recurring favorite of mine: My chicken, shrimp, and turkey sausage paella (recipe below)! And I'm excited to show you the awesome pictures I took, like this one: 

See how nice I made it look? Just so you know, it was really hard to make the shrimp stand up. But I did it for you, my loyal readers. I even artistically splashed some chipotle hot sauce on the plate!

Though I live by the maxim that anyone can cook any dish with the right preparation, ingredients, and patience, I'll readily admit that paella is a challenge. It's time and recipe intensive, entails juggling multiple prep stations and multiple burners-worth of ingredients, and makes for a LOT of dirty dishes.

Oh, but it's worth it! The rice, which is pre-fried in saffron and garlic, bestows a gorgeous and fragrant base to the dish, while the spicier protein elements -- turkey sausage and chicken marinated in oregano and paprika -- cut to the top of each bite. The sweet, juicy red peppers contrast nicely against buttery peas and asparagus, and little shrimps add a great, authentic seafood flair to the final dish. 

This picture of saffron threads is too good not to share.

Beyond the ingredients, which ensure that each bite presents a great combination of flavors and textures, technique is the key to this recipe. I cook the shrimp on the side and don't stir them in (more on that later) and I chop veggies to uniform sizes to maintain a consistent consistency for each element. Most importantly, I achieve the traditionally smooth and satisfying paella texture by working the rice into a sort of risotto before ever adding in the meats.

Now that I've sold you on how absolutely phenomenal this paella is, I'll walk you through my recipe. Pretty much all the vegetables and proteins can be swapped, removed, or added to; I happen to generally like this combination.

 

(NOTE: This is a complex enough recipe that I'd recommend reading it through before starting.)

 

• Sam's Chicken, Turkey Sausage and Shrimp Paella
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. paprika
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1.5-2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
•  
• 2 T. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 c. uncooked short-grain white rice
• 1 hefty pinch saffron threads
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 T. lemon zest
•  
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or vidalia onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped coarsely
• 1 c. frozen peas
• Half bunch of green asparagus stalks, cut into inch-long pieces
• 1 pound turkey sausage, cut at a diagonal into 3/4 inch slices
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (frozen is fine; the thawed stuff behind the fish counter was refrozen at some point anyways)

Step One: In a plastic ziploc bag or bowl, toss 2 T. olive oil, the paprika, the oregano, and a couple of healthy pinches of salt and pepper with the chicken pieces. Really massage the spices into the meat, then throw the mixture into the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

 

Step Two: In a large, thick-bottomed, pan or pot (I use my dutch oven), heat 2 T. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice, stirring and turning the rice to coat the rice in oil, abut 4 minutes. Toasting the grains gently with the spices like this is part of what creates a smooth, risotto-like texture for the final product.

Step Three: Add the chicken stock and lemon zest, and bring the contents to a gentle simmer before adding the saffron threads. Adding the threads to warm liquid is called "blooming" the saffron; this allows the expensive spice to best impart that gorgeous, shocking canary yellow to the paella. Bring the dish to a steady boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the rice for 20 minutes.

Pay attention! If the rice starts to dry out, add a little more chicken stock or water.

Step Four: Now, turn to your veggies and meat. In a broad frying pan (I use an 11 inch), heat 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add in the bell pepper and sausage slices, and cook another 6 minutes. Check the rice; it's likely done by now.

 

Step Five: Throw the meat and veggie mixture in with the rice and add your peas and asparagus. Stir, REALLY combining all the ingredients, and cover the pot again. Cook the whole mixture over low another 15 minutes, adding a little more chicken stock or water if things start getting a little dry.

 

 

Step Six: It's time to cook the shrimp! Toss your peeled and deveined shrimps into the bottom of the pan you used for the meat (no need to clean) and cook over medium, about 2 minutes a side depending on the size of the shrimp, or until they turn nice and pink.

 

 

As I mentioned, I prefer not to mix in the shrimp with the rest of the paella. Shrimp doesn't refreeze well all mixed into the dish, and it causes the leftovers to taste very, very fishy. Better to cook and store on the side, and just top each serving of paella with a small handful.

 

Step Seven: EAT! To get that awesome little paella patty for the plating, I just packed it into a pyrex storage dish and turned it over onto a plate. The hot sauce was a tasty touch -- I'd recommend it.

 

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