In preparation for an upcoming trip to Spain my wife and I had two friends to dinner… Barb and Dave have traveled Spain extensively and we wanted to pick their brains. Deciding to cook paella, I proceeded to look in my cookbook collection for the best version I could find… evidently things were not going to be that simple. I found great and dramatic variation between the recipes.

I then checked out the web. Big mistake. The recipes I found there were even more disparate in opinion! Some folks were purists, insisting on the inclusion of rabbit and the exclusion of seafood. Some cooked on the stove top while others espoused an oven-based method. Some added saffron while others insisted its inclusion was akin to culinary heresy.

What started out as a simple search for a decent recipe ended up (much to the chagrin of my adorable wife) turning into a day-long quest for the perfect paella recipe.

Researching the history of the dish, I discovered it was originally cooked over an open flame often made from grapevines. Grapevines being hard to come by in the wilds of Bedford County, I decided to utilize my trusty Weber gas grill, “Old Smokey”!  Being an enormous fan of all things porcine I decided that the addition of chorizo was not even up for debate… pig simply makes life a better place. Seafood seemed an obvious choice, as did chicken, so I settled on mussels, shrimp and boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The most traditional rice for paella seemed to be Bomba, but due to difficulty in sourcing it (as well as a bout of periodically-occurring procrastination) I decided to use Arborio instead.

The end result was shockingly tasty and was proclaimed by our guests to be the “Ultimate Paella” (insert mental image of host grinning like an idiot)!

I strongly recommend sourcing and buying a paellera (the traditional cooking vessel). They are usually sold based on the number of servings they will produce. This recipe was developed using a 6 serving paellera approximately 16″ in diameter that I purchased from Provisions Gourmet in Roanoke. If you don’t happen to have a paellera – and are determined not to own one – you could substitute an oven-safe skillet of similar diameter although I don’t recommend it (hey, I said it was the ultimatepaella, I never said anything about easy or quick).

Suggested Wine Pairings: If you are in the mood for white, a nice Albarino such as Salvenal Cosecha 2008 (only $14.99 at Wine Gourmet) would work nicely. For a red wine, try a Spanish Garnacha such as Atteca Old Vines 2008 (an absolute bargain at $17.99!).

Mmmmm….. paella!

Grilled Mixed Paella
Serves 6  VERY hungry people

½ cup good dry white wine – preferably Spanish
1 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, peeled, cut into 1 in. dice – skin reserved
5 large cloves garlic, peeled, minced – skin reserved
½ cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, lightly chopped – stems reserved and chopped
1 ½ lb. shrimp – peeled and deveined, lightly sprinkled with sea salt – shells reserved
7 cups good quality low-sodium chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 tbsp. olive oil (preferably Spanish)
8 oz. Spanish chorizo cut into ½ in. chunks
6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 in. dice
1 green bell pepper cut into 1 in. dice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried sage
½ tsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. sweet paprika
2 ¼ cups unwashed Arborio rice
2 to 3 tbsp. demi-glace, depending on strength
10 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
¾ cup fresh peas (frozen is acceptable)
½ cup pitted olives [preferably Spanish (such as Manzanilla) stuffed with anchovies – trust me!]
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
½ lb. mussels – cleaned and debearded
3 large lemons

Preheat grill over medium high heat and cover. Ideally the grill should hover around 350˚.

Prepare all ingredients (mise-en-place) beforehand. Put thyme, sage, and both the sweet and the smoked paprikas into a mortar and pestle and grind until well combined.

Put saffron into white wine to soak.

In a medium saucepan add reserved shrimp shells, onion and garlic skins and parsley stems to chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes. Strain. Keep broth hot but not boiling.

On grill, add olive oil to a paellera (paella pan) for six and heat until shimmering. Add chorizo (do not be tempted to use Mexican chorizo because it is too greasy) and brown all over. Remove. Salt chicken, add to pan and sauté until nicely-browned. Remove. Add onion, peppers and fennel. Lightly salt and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the herb/paprika mixture to the pan, along with garlic, and continue to stir for another minute.

Add rice to pan and stir until grains are evenly coated with oil and beginning to become translucent. Add the demi-glace, half of the parsley, tomatoes, peas and olives. Stir until demi-glace has melted. Return the chorizo and chicken to the pan.

Stir in the wine/saffron mixture and 4-4 ½ cups of the stock (there should be enough to cover the rice by ½ inch or so). Cook with grill lid open, occasionally stirring gently, until dish is no longer soupy but still contains plenty of liquid, 5-10 minutes. Level out the top of the paella, place rosemary sprig on top and close grill lid. Cook without stirring for 10 minutes at 350˚, checking occasionally to ensure the rice is not burning. More stock may be added as necessary (see note below).

Open grill lid and nestle shrimp into the paella. Insert mussels hinge-side down and close grill lid. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.

Remove from heat. Scatter remaining parsley and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve in the paellera at the table with additional cut lemon wedges as garnish.

PLEASE NOTE: Paella is ALL about the rice. The additional ingredients are subject to change and should be considered secondary to the perfect rice. When properly executed, the rice texture should be somewhere between the fluffiness of a pilaf and the creaminess of a risotto, with nice little “crunchy bits” around the bottom and sides of the pan. Remember: the rice will continue to cook as it rests, so to compensate, it should actually be a bit TOO al-dente at the end of cooking phase. If the rice appears to be absorbing all the stock but is not yet sufficiently cooked add a bit more stock. If it appears to be getting done but the rice is still a bit too soupy, open the lid to the grill and turn it up (being careful not to let the paella burn on the bottom).

…Adam

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Mike Harper

Coq au Vin (pronounced: coke – oh – van) is classic French cooking but simply means, chicken with wine. Though it has peasant roots, the final dish develops into something that will have you eating as well as any rich man. Coq au Vin is about taking simple, basic ingredients and combining them in a way that builds flavor. Because of that, there are many separate steps – but they all lead to an incredibly rich sauce that is the central aspect of the dish.

Coq au Vin

Serves 4

4 Large Chicken leg/thigh pieces
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice
1 large carrot, cut into medium dice
2 celery stalks, cut into medium dice
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
1 bottle red wine (A Red Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
1 bouquet garni*
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups veal stock**
1 pint pearl onions, peeled
½ pound smoked slab bacon, diced***
1 pound small white mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

The day before:
In a large bowl, combine the legs, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine, and bouquet garni.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

The next day:
Strain the marinade liquid from the legs and vegetables and reserve. Remove and discard the garlic halves and bouquet garni. Separate the legs from the vegetables.
Season the marinated legs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Just when the oil begins to smoke, add the legs. (Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan. If the legs are too crowded, the steam they will emit will not rise away from the meat and the chicken will not brown properly.)
Brown evenly and deeply on all sides, about 7-8 minutes per side. Set finished legs to the side and discard the oil; replenishing the oil between batches. When completely finished browning the legs, reduce heat to medium and add the reserved vegetables to the pot. Cook until they soften and begin the brown, about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, and then add the flour, stirring again for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved marinade liquid and, as it bubbles up, use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot, incorporating them into the broth. (These browned bits are rich with flavor.) Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, reducing the liquid by half .  After reducing, add the chicken and then the stock. Turn the heat back up to high in order to bring the liquid to a boil. As it reaches a boil, reduce the flame to low and maintain a slow and gentle simmer for 1 hour.  -  By this time, the meat will be very tender.

In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients:
Blanche the pearl onions in boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside. Cook the bacon in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until brown, about 10 minutes, and remove with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the sauté pan and the (now very hot) rendered bacon fat. Cook the mushrooms until brown, about five minutes, and remove with a slotted spoon. Add the blanched pearl onions to the pan, sautéing until they too are brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove the legs from the braising liquid and strain the contents of the pot, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables. Return the liquid to the stove and bring it to a strong simmer. Skim the surface of the sauce as it bubbles, removing any visible fat. When the sauce has reduced by half, return the legs to the pot along with the bacon, onions and mushrooms and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Using a warmed serving dish, plate the leg/thigh with onions and mushrooms and spoon sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

This would go well with brown rice or oven-roasted potatoes, sautéed string beans and, of course, a pinot noir.

* Bouquet Garni: 3 stalks parsley, 1 sprig thyme and 1 bay leaf – lay the herbs on top of one another and tie them together into a little bundle with a piece of string. This is but one make-up for a Bouquet Garni and there are many. The idea is to infuse your dish with the flavors and aromas of these herbs and then make their removal very easy (just fish out the bundle at the end).

** If making Veal stock isn’t practical, you can substitute canned beef broth [I happen to like Swanson]. The Coq au Vin will not be as rich as if you had used veal stock but will still be very good.

*** If you can’t find slab (unsliced) bacon, then opt for thick-cut sliced bacon.

Wine Recommendation:
Well, there’s really only one way to go.  You need pinot noir, the same type of wine in which you marinated the chicken – though it’s no crime to upgrade for the dining room from what you used in the kitchen.  Red Burgundy is pinot noir and we have some beautiful ones, Chambertins from Burgundy’s Cote d’Or that are uniformly, rich, well-balanced and silky in texture.  Their only drawback is that they’re a tad on the expensive side,  ranging from $60. – $100./btl.
If that’s a bit dear, going for a Willamette Valley pinot noir (from Oregon) is an excellent fall-back.

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