Rustic Paella

A Rustic Paella That Won’t Keep You in the Kitchen All Day

Posted on June 5, 2012

Count us among those who recall each time we’ve sat down to have paella. The famed Spanish dish is a showstopper. Moreover, making it is easier than you think. Mediterranean food guru Joyce Goldstein notes paella “need not be an elaborate and expensive dish.” (Click here to see rustic paella recipe.)

Photograph Copyright 2006 by Joyce Oudkerk Pool http://www.jopstudio.com/

“Some of the very best paellas are the simplest, combining just rice, chicken, and mussels, with a few added beans or peas,” Joyce says in the book Perfect Pairings (University of California Press, 2006), written by her son: the noted sommelier Evan Goldstein.

Joyce created the recipes for the book, which features food and wine pairings. And looking through the paella recipe backs Joyce’s contention that it need not be pricey or complicated. It combines chicken, shrimp, and clams (or mussels) along with rice, tomatoes (canned are fine), peas or beans, wine, and herbs and spices like saffron. (Click here to see the recipe.)

For this dish, Evan Goldstein recommends serving an “excellent all around” Sangiovese wine. And just like wine, different olive oils pair well with different foods. We’d recommend using one of our more robust oils to prepare this paella, such as our Miller’s Blend or Arbosana.

If you want to read more about pairing olive oil and wine with different foods – and get some excellent recipes – have a look at our June eNewsletter. (Click here to see the June eNews.) We showcase California olive oil and wine. As a maker of California extra virgin olive oil, we like to tell people the Golden state makes more than great wine!

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

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Rustic Paella

Rustic Paella

• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
• 4 small chicken thighs
• 4 small chicken breast halves

• 1⁄4 cup white wine or water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 5 tablespoons California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes (canned are fine)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika or pimentón de la Vera 
  (Spanish smoked paprika)
• 2 cups Spanish short-grain rice such as Bomba or Calasparra
• 5 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
• 1 cup cooked peas, lima beans, chickpeas, or white beans
• 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined (optional)
• 3 dozen clams or mussels, scrubbed and mussels debearded
• White wine or water for steaming clams

In a small bowl, stir the garlic, oregano, pepper, and salt to combine. Add the vinegar and stir to form a paste. Whisk in the 5 tablespoons olive oil. Rub the marinade on the chicken and place in a nonaluminum container. Cover the container and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Pour the 1⁄4 cup wine into a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the saffron, and let steep 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces in batches and sauté until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more oil as needed. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate. Wipe the skillet clean of any burned bits. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon garlic, and paprika and cook 5 minutes longer. Add the rice, reduce heat to low, and stir until opaque, about 3 minutes. Raise the heat, add the 5 cups of broth and the saffron infusion, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Add the peas and the shrimp, if using, and cook until the shrimp is pink, adding more broth if necessary, about 5 minutes longer. Cover to keep warm.

Discard any open clams and any mussels that do not close when tapped with a spoon. In a large pot, pour the wine or water to a depth of 1 inch. Add the clams and mussels. Place over medium high heat, cover, and steam until the shellfish open, 3 to 5 minutes. (They won’t all open at once, so keep checking.) As they open, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the paella. Continue steaming until all have opened. (Clams can be stubborn; after 5 minutes, turn off the heat and cover the pan. Discard any clams that haven’t opened within 10 minutes.) Let the paella stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Variation: Instead of making the paella entirely on the stovetop, you may complete it in the oven. Add the peas and clams when the chicken is added, and place the pain in a 325-degree oven until the liquids are mostly absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Suggested wine pairing: Excellent all-around Sangioveses.

Recipe credit: Perfect Pairings (University of California Press, 2006), by Evan Goldstein; recipes by Joyce Goldstein. Photographs Copyright 2006 by Joyce Oudkerk Pool.

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