Description
Tanya Booth, former owner of The Spanish Table, created this recipe for Edible East Bay in April 2020 as an easy way for people in lockdown to make use of pantry items offered at her shops. The dish has become a favorite in our kitchen, where we have been making it weekly during pepper season. The recipe is easily adapted as an all plant-based dish by leaving out the chorizo and mussels and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. In spring, I like to add fava beans, asparagus, and sugar snap peas during the last 7 minutes of cooking —CAK
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 12 ounces Spanish-style chorizo, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow, red, or orange bell pepper, slice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 jar Matiz Sofrito
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme or several sprigs fresh thyme*
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley (divided)
- 1/2 cup dry amontillado sherry
- 3 cups Aneto chicken stock
- 1 cup bomba rice
- 8 mussels (optional), rinsed and beards removed
- Sliced lemons for garnish
- For a spring version, add 1 cup each of fava beans, sliced asparagus, and halved sugar snap peas
Instructions
In a 4-portion paella pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook until lightly browned. Add the sliced onion and peppers, and sauté until they start to soften. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the Matiz Sofrito and cook for a few more minutes.
Stir in the saffron, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaf, and 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley. Add the amontillado sherry and bring to a simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then sprinkle in the rice. Bring to a steady simmer and cook without stirring for 15 minutes or until about ¾ of the liquid has been absorbed. Tuck the mussels into the rice and continue cooking until all the liquid is gone. Add the spring vegetables (if using)
Turn off the heat and cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes. Uncover and garnish with the remaining parsley and sliced lemons as you present the paella with a flair at the table.
*Tanya Booth’s original recipe calls for pebrella, a wild Spanish thyme they sell at the shop. This will imbue your paella with a unique flavor of Spain, as will a garnish of jarred piquillo peppers.
- Category: Entree
