Paella that will make you swoon

Another day Another Paella!

Our friends Kerry and Terry were coming over for dinner and it was going to be a humid and hot day. I wanted to make something that wouldn't heat the kitchen and would be summery (is that a word?) and festive. Paella fits the bill perfectly for this criteria. I usually make my stand-by paella but I wanted to try something different this time. I used the basic paella recipe that I always use and added different ingredients.

I am getting ahead of myself though...

We started off with Strawberry-Mint Sangria. It was really good.

For appetizers I bought some Spanish Cheeses (uh oh, I forgot what they were called...bad blogger!). We also had olives and an artichoke dip and the dip I posted yesterday.

I browned up some chicken drumettes and some country style ribs that the butcher cut into 2 inch pieces.

Added the other stuff and continued drinking and talking.

And it all came together! I used scallops, mussels, gulf shrimp, spanish chorizo, chicken and green beans. How could it be bad?

Paella

Adapted from Recipe from the Spanish Table

Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat stock in a separate stock pot. Crush saffron and add it to the stock or a little bit of white wine. Heat paella pan over medium heat, add olive oil and fry chicken until it begins to brown. Next add garlic and onions and saute until translucent. Add chorizo and cook until heated. Add the rice, stirring until well coated with oil. Add the paprika and grated tomato. Stir while cooking for a few minutes.

2. Add saffron flavored wine and hot stock. Bring to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan. Now the rice should be level and you will not need to stir from this point on. Adjust heat to maintain a nice simmer. When the rice has absorbed a good amount of liquid but still has a soupy appearance add the mussels or clams. Once the rice is cooked add the shrimp or prawns tucking them down into the rice, then the piquillo peppers, artichoke hearts, green beans, beans and peas. During this time the rice should be carmelizing on the bottom of the pan or creating what is called the socarrat. It will make a faint crackling sound and smell toasty sweet but not burnt. Set aside to "rest" for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

3. OVEN: You can also use an oven if you find that your pan is too large to cook on the stove top, even with occasionally moving the pan around on the burner(s). Begin your recipe on the stove top but after adding the liquid carefully move your paella pan into the oven (350-400 degrees). Once rice is done return it to the stove top to create the caramelized layer of rice on the bottom of the pan.

Strawberry Mint Sangria

Sangria: Fun and Festive Recipes by Mittie Hellmich

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries (hulled and sliced)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (about 20 leaves) plus extra sprigs for garnish

1 1/2 ounces brandy

1 bottle dry white wine, chilled

12 ounces club soda, chilled

To Make: In a large glass pitcher, combine the strawberries, mint leaves, and brandy. Slowly pour in the wine, then refrigerate for two hours. When ready to serve, add the club soda and stir gently with a long wooden spoon. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish each glass with a mint sprig.

Boy oh boy do I miss the Spanish Table in Berkeley. As a matter of fact, I am missing California and its "No Humidity" policy.