Paella (with chicken and duck)

 

My in-laws live in Spain and they are hardcore paella connoisseurs.  The American side of the family decided to try to make a pre-Thanksgiving paella, knowing we would be diving in as the blind, American amateurs that we are.  Considering how sunny and warm it was outside, it really was not a problem slaving over the grill throughout the afternoon.

What you'll need (all amounts are approximations since it's really a matter of taste):

• Paella pan
  
• Olive oil
• Salt
  
• 4 duck breasts, cut in half (so 8 pieces)
  
• 6 small- to medium-sized chicken legs (Rabbit and snails are traditional ingredients, but we stuck with what we could easily get from the grocery store)
  
• Bell peppers (we used red ones since that's what we had in the fridge)
  
• Parsley
• Garlic (a couple cloves)
  
• Tomatoes (we probably could've used more, but we were relying on what the garden provided)
  
• Red Onion
• Leeks (we added these since they were growing in the garden -- we cut down on the red onion because we were adding these)
• Rosemary sprig (or whatever delightful sprig you happen to have growing in the garden)
  
• Chicken broth/Water (Note: the chicken broth/rice ratio should be about 2:1 -- this is the tricky part since the amount you let evaporate can really change and then change how much water should be/could be added)
• Paella rice ("bomba" rice; italian-style arborio rice will also work just as well).
• The rule of thumb is one handful of rice per person dining.  We went with ten generous handfuls of rice.  Then we measured that in pitcher, and matched the volume with water later on.  (It was probably something like eight cups of rice, but the handful rule is the best way to go!)
  
• Saffron (a couple of pinches at most -- my family has collected saffron over the years and has been too cheap/afraid to use it, so we have way too much already!)
• Canned butter beans (or fava beans)
  

First, fire up the grill!  Traditionally, it's best to use aromatic wood like cedar, orange, or lemon.  At least according to the Spanish.

Once you have a good fire going, put olive oil in the paella pan.  Heat.  Sprinkle some salt in and allow it to heat up.

When the pan is hot, add the chopped up bell pepper and stir.  Once cooked, put the bell pepper on a plate and set it aside.

Next add the chicken and duck and let them brown, flipping them every few minutes.

CAUTION: that oil/grease can splatter something awful from the paella pan.  Make sure you have a long set of tongs and a long cloth to shield yourself with; plus some solid backward-hopping skills.  

The duck breast will cook faster than the chicken so, when it is sufficiently browned, set the duck breast aside, and continue cooking the chicken alone.

Meanwhile, you should have already prepared your tomato/vegetable/herb sauce.  In a blender, add your tomatoes, chopped parsley, onion/leeks, garlic, and a little bit of chicken broth.  Make sure to leave the red peppers aside, as they will be added at the end for decoration/flavor.  

When the chicken is well-browned, add the duck breast back to the paella pan, and then add the blended sauce over the mix.  Ours was very green because we did not have a lot of tomatoes to work with.  Saute briefly and then add the rest of the chicken broth.  Stir.  Add the rosemary sprigs at this time. 

Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

I love tangy dishes. Food with a touch of lemon, lime or vinegar always tastes a little better to me. Food with a lot of lemon, lime or vinegar is heavenly. This lime chicken dish is basically like a chicken ceviche that you then cook and throw beans on. In other words, delish. I found this recipe from Simply Recipes and made a couple changes and additions. If I'd had more time or energy, I would probably have made rice or a salad as a side, but we managed to leave the table full and with leftovers even. You'll either need to start pretty early on in the evening or give yourself a night to marinate the chicken (I recommend the latter for flavor purposes, anyway).


What you'll need:

• 1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken (I used thighs because they're cheaper and I like dark meat) (should be about 4 pieces)
  
• One onion
  
• 5 limes
• Olive oil (a couple tablespoons' worth)
• One bunch of cilantro
• Dried oregano
  
• Salt and pepper
• Black beans (32-ounce can - you may use less; would probably be even better if you made the black beans from scratch, but this is a time saver)
• 1 quart of water (4 cups, for those of us who are conversionally challenged)
• Bay leaves
• Garlic (4 cloves)
• Extra herbs/spices for the black beans: for example, cayenne, paprika, thyme, saffron (whatever's lying around that would taste good)

Marinating the chicken

Squeeze all the limes into a large bowl. Chop up the cilantro leaves, leaving the stems (should be 1/2-1 cup). Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a couple dashes each of oregano, salt and pepper. Stir, then add the chicken to the marinade. Either let the marinade sit for 2 hours at room temperature or stick in the fridge to marinate overnight. Remember to turn the pieces of chicken occasionally.


Preparing the bean sauce

It's almost better to conceptualize this as a bean soup. Empty the can of black beans (or fresh black beans, if you're good) into a large pot. Add a quart of water (4 cups) and start heating (on high heat). Finely chop the cilantro stems and add to the beans. Add 4 or 5 bay leaves, 4 cloves pressed garlic, and whatever herbs/spices you choose (I added cayenne and paprika, which made it pretty spicy). Stir.


Once it comes to a boil, bring it down to a simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Remember to keep stirring as it reduces and be especially careful to keep parts of the bean sauce from crusting on the sides.


Once the beans have reduced to a level you're happy with, add them to a blender or a food processor and mix. I actually might have tried mashing the beans if I had a masher, but I settled for blending since mashing is something we don't partake in enough to warrant buying yet another kitchen gadget. (Not that we don't love them.)


Baking the chicken, onions and marinade

Preheat the oven to 350 (the standard meat-cooking temp, I am learning). Slice up an onion (so that you have several long pieces) and make it a bed in the bottom of a baking dish. Add the marinated chicken thighs and drizzle the marinade over everything. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove.


Place the chicken thighs on a separate plate. Bake the remaining onions and the marinade by placing them back in the oven to soften the onions (and also allow the onions to absorb some more flavor).

Grilling the chicken

Pretty self-explanatory. This would probably work much better with an outside grill. Our little grill pan leaves a lot of smoke. It would have tasted better to slowly add (now-baked) marinade over the chicken as it cooked, but I only added a little bit to prevent smoking out the apartment. Cook the chicken on each side for about 5 minutes each. I have a tendency to overcook because I am still learning the ropes and prefer over- to undercooking and really don't mind a well-browned piece of chicken.


Once the chicken is done, put a thigh on each plate, add a spoonful of onions as a side and drizzle everything with the bean sauce. And done. I'm not going to lie: this was messy and a little labor-intensive. But I was happy with how it came out. It was not too sour, not too salty, and filling. Just right.

Probably the best validation was people at work the next day remarking upon how good it smelled, even though by then the leftovers looked more like a soup than a main dish. Spicy black bean soup with lime chicken.

Chicken Paprikash

This dish makes me think of my best friend from childhood, Claire.  Her family happens to have Hungarian roots, which may or may not be why they made it all the time.  But they definitely had the dish perfected.  And I probably had the dish with them at least 20 times over the years.  It feels like that may be an exaggeration, but in all seriousness, I think it was around that many times.  I am by all means a paprikash amateur, and this did not come close to the paprikash wonders experienced at Claire's house over my formative years, but it didn't come out half bad, either.  I got the base for this recipe from Simply Recipes, but there are a ton of great paprikash recipes floating around out there, with all kinds of variations that I want to try.  I like to up the amount garlic and spices in a recipe, usually.  Almost as a rule.

You start with thinly sliced onions (2-3 depending on size).  Add a couple tablespoons of paprika, a dash of cayenne, a dash of salt, and some water (I put in about half a cup).  Mix it all up in a baking pan.

Add pieces of chicken to the onions in the baking pan.  Use about three pounds of chicken.  I used a chicken cut up into pieces (with skin and bones and all).  Next time I might try using chicken filets.  This was delicious, but it might be a little less fatty without the skin (but also less tasty).  If I need a shortcut in the future, I might try using leftover chicken (and just use chicken broth in the onion mix), since cold meat is easier and less painful to shred.

Prepare the chicken by rubbing garlic (one or two cloves) and butter over the pieces.  If using skin, rub it under the skin as well.

Once the chicken is on the bed of onions, stick it in the oven.  You can also cook it on the stovetop, but I prefer the oven.  Cook it at around 350-400 degrees for 40 min-1 hour (I just used a meat thermometer to check when it was done). 

Once the chicken is done, remove the pieces to a separate plate and cut it off the bone and into smaller pieces.  If you used a chicken with skin and bones, take the fat off from the top of the onion bed.  Then add some more water or stock to the onion bed (again, only a little bit).  Put the baking pan on the stove top and bring to a boil.  Add a little bit more salt, paprika.  Then add a couple tablespoons of sour cream.  Stir.

That's it.  Serve up the chicken and pour the sauce over it.  Voila, chicken paprikash.
I steamed up a head of broccoli (sprinkled with cheese) as a side dish. 

 

It made for a pretty dinner. 

 And plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!