recipe 85: hooray-ah, paella!

Before moving along to the apple/pumpkin/butternut squash madness that's been going on in the kitchen lately, I wanted to post my recipe for the yummiest paella on earth, from Tristan's friend Diaz.

BEST USER-FRIENDLY PAELLA EVER
Ingredients:
Sofrito
-1 medium tomato
-a splash of olive oil
-1 t paprika
-1/2 t salt
-a pinch of parsley
-1/4 of an onion, chopped
-heaping teaspoon of chopped garlic

Rice
-3/4 c uncooked rice (short or medium grain)
-1 1/2-2 c water
-a pinch of saffron (Have you ever seen saffron? It is so cool!)
-1/4 c peas (thawed)
-lemon wedges
(optional: artichokes, peppers, and/or string beans... we did not use any of these because as the attentive reader may recall, Tristan doesn't really heart vegetables, and since this was his recipe via his friend, I honored that)

Meat
-1/4 lb chorizo
-approximately 3-5 jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
-1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:
1) remove seeds from the tomato and chop or blend with a splash of olive oil
2) add salt, pepper, and parsley to the tomato mixture
3) put enough oil in a heavy-bottomed pan to coat it, and saute the onion and garlic
4) add the tomato mix and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture becomes pasty
5) move the sofrito over to the side of the pan
6) lightly salt the chicken and cook alongside the sofrito
7) slice up the chorizo and brown it alongside the chicken (for about 8 minutes)
8) add the shrimp, fry until nearly done, and remove the shrimp to a plate

9) add the rice to the pan, mix everything together, and let the rice toast for about 1-2 minutes
10) add 1 1/2 c of water and a few threads of saffron (4-5)
11) add the peas to the top
12) let the paella cook on high (don't stir) until the water is absorbed and the rice appears dry (note: if the water is evaporated and the rice isn't cooked, add water a half cup at a time until the rice is cooked)
13) top with the cooked shrimp, cover, remove from heat, and let this sit for about 10 minutes

14) garnish with lemon slices and enjoy!