Paella

 Wow, it's been a while! Chuck is no longer my boyfriend.... but my soon-to-be-husband!! (I don't really like "fiance") And this weekend we are celebrating two years since we met!  We wanted to do something fun this weekend because it's our meet-a-versery and it's the last weekend we are going to have before life gets very crazy.  Vacation and work travel taking nearly the whole month of August for him.  Work, my best friend's bachelorette party raft trip, and her wedding for me (and him).  Then we are heading out on a service trip to Guatamala at the end of September with Hormel Foods with Project Spammy. It's a full end to the summer. So today we headed to the Basque Block in Boise for the Basque Festival.

Boise has the largest Basque population outside of Basque Country in Spain.  There's a city block in Boise that has a museum, market, and a few restaurants.  This weekend they are having a big party, Basque music and dancers, the works!  I convinced Chuck to wander down there this morning and we both had a great time.  We started by getting drinks and watching the Boise fighters take on the police department in Sokatira (tug of war).  There was also a GIANT (100 serving) pan of paella being assembled by a couple of guys.  This caught our attention and we spent most of our time watching their techniques and listening to their explanations.

I learned how to make my version of paella in 2007 and had made it several times.  I was pretty excited that I was doing it the "right" way... for the most part.

After watching for a while and getting the scoop on the rice they used, we headed into the Basque market and purchased out very own, real deal, paella pan, aforementioned rice, and smoked paprika.  The rest of the ingredients we had at home or bought at Whole Foods.  We took breaks to go get more drinks, watch the live music, and wander around the block, but we kept swinging by the giant paella pan to see what they did next.  We were never in line for the paella.  It stretched for an entire block and we wouldn't have been able to see it all come together.

It was beautiful.

The rice looked like Arborio rice (used for risotto) but was Valencia rice.  It leaches less starch than Arborio and the guys making the paella said that unlike when you're making risotto and have to constantly stir your dish, this one you don't touch after you add the rice.  That was what initially sold Chuck.

Chuck was excited to try cooking this.  Mostly because he could put the pan on the grill and do the whole thing outside.


Paella

Ingredients:

4                Chicken thighs
1/2lb          Raw, uncooked chorizo
2 links       Smoked Chorizo, chopped
10 ea.         Shrimp 16/20

1                 Yellow onion, chopped
1                 Green Bell pepper, chopped
1                 Poblano pepper, diced
                   Roasted red peppers
1 1/2c.        Fresh Green beans
1                 Lemon, cut into slices 
4 cloves      Garlic
3 cups         Chicken stock
1 cup           White wine (we used a left over Savignon Blanc)
1 1/2c.         Valencia Rice (we bought it at the Basque Market, couldn't find at Whole Foods)

1/2 pinch    Saffron
                   Smoked Paprika
                   Garlic powder
                   Oregano
                   Salt
                   Pepper
                   Olive oil

Directions:

1:   Season shrimp with smoked paprika, salt and pepper.Season the chicken thighs with olive oil,
      smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.  Grill until cooked, wrap in foil and set
       aside.

2:   Boil chicken stock and saffron for a couple of minutes until saffron pieces break apart.
3:   Place paella pan (or cast iron skillet) on the grill over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and both kinds of chorizo to the pan and let brown.  Once there are some drippings in the pan, push the chorizo to the sides and add the onions, green pepper, and poblano pepper to the middle.  Once the onion is translucent add the garlic.  Let cook for a few minutes and then stir it all together.

4:   Add 2 T olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper, 1T smoked paprika and mix it all together.  Then add the Valencia rice and stir together. Let sit for a few minutes, add the white wine, allow to rest a few minutes, add the saffron infused stock, and let it sit until about 3/4 of stock is absorbed.

5: Tear chicken into pieces and add to the pot, don't stir it in.

6:  Sprinkle green beans, roasted red peppers over the top. Then spread in the shrimp.  Tip from Chuck: If you want to add mussels or clams, add just before shrimp.  Place lemon slices.

7:  Allow to sit until all of the chicken stock has been absorbed and enjoy!

So tasty!