Cook: FJ Chicken Chorizo and Seafood Paella

This may not the most traditional or authentic paella (for one, I used a large all clad deep skillet because we do not own a paella pan; secondly most paellas are either meat or seafood but I went for a combo!), but it certainly is delicious and spectacular! All paella must have three important components: 1) the sofrito base, 2) the rice (short grain and starchy) and 3) saffron.

This recipe is a little more labor intensive then most of the recipes posted on this blog, but it is so worth it. The following recipe makes 6-8 hearty servings.

FJ Chicken Chorizo and Seafood Paella

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red pepper sliced into strips
• 1 green pepper sliced into strips
• 3 large (4 medium) tomatoes chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/4 tsp Saffron (or a hearty pinch)*
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups of Valencia or Arborio rice
• pinch of paprika
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1-2  lemon
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless) chopped into pieces
• 1/2 lb spicy dry chorizo, casing removed and sliced
• 12 fresh mussels, 12 fresh clams, 12 shrimp (raw with shells removed except tail)

Directions:

Start by making the sofrito: Heat a large saute pan or paella pan.  Add a generous drizzle of olive oil and add chopped garlic and onion, red and green peppers and the tomatoes. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the veggies are soft

In a separate small pan, brown the chicken in olive oil, remove from heat. Add the browned chicken and chorizo to the softened vegetable sofrito, let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.  Add the rice! Stir the rice continually in the sofrito until the pan becomes nice and dry (the rice should absorb all the liquid)

• When pan is dry, it's time to add more liquid. Add water to cover the rice plus 1/2 an inch more.  Add the saffron.
• Only stir the paella occasionally at this point to make sure the rice isn't sticking (burning) to the bottom of the pan. you don't want to overstir or the rice will start to break down and release too much starch. 
• Once the liquid is all absorbed, taste rice for doneness. Add liquid little by little (similar strategy for making risotto) until rice is done. 
• Add the seafood now as well as the edamame (or peas). Stop stirring. Turn down the heat, cover the paella pan with aluminum foil and let it gently simmer for 10-15 minutes 
• Remove foil, test for saltiness. Add salt to taste, paprika and/or cayenne pepper.  Squeeze some lemon juice and toss some chopped parsley into the mix.

Cook: Tortilla Espanola with Sofrito

Lucky for me, J is a master of making tortilla espanola. This is a very typical Spanish dish that is essentially an egg omelette with fried potatoes.  You can find at most Tapas restaurants in the US, and pretty much everywhere in Spain (at least where we've travelled which includes together and separately - Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, etc).   One of the tastiest snacks ever is a sandwich made of french bread and tortilla espanola with some jamon serrano. We had this pretty much every day we were in Spain and never got sick of it.

If you're planning on having a spanish themed dinner, please do try this recipe. It is so delicious!

In order to make the Tortilla Espanola, you will need:

• 1 large frying pan for frying potatoes and onions; 1 medium frying pan for cooking the tortilla
• potato peeler
• 2 mixing bowls - 1 large and 1 small 
• 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled
• 1 whole onion chopped
• 5-6 large eggs
• 2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying
• salt to taste. 

Rather than type out the instructions, here is a link to the step by step instructions with pictures that J uses:  http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/ss/tortilla.htm

The tortilla is fantastic alone or with aioli. We like to serve it with Sofrito. Sofrito is a basis of many spanish foods (including paella - recipe will be shared tomorrow!) Ingredients include tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers and olive oil. It makes a delicious accompaniment to tortilla

Sofrito
Ingredients:

• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28-29oz)
• 1 long green pepper (not hot)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic
2. Chop the pepper into small pieces (1/4'' or smaller)
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium pan
4. Drizzle with olive oil.  Add onions and saute until transparent (reduce heat if necessary so onion won't burn). Add the green pepper and cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Stir constantly so the vegetable don't burn.
5. Add the minced garlic, saute for another minute. 
6. Pour the crushed tomatoes and paprika into the pan and mix well. 
7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook: Seared Squid, Olive, Tomato and Arugula Salad

J and I decided to make a Spanish feast this past weekend so we put together a menu which included cheese & charcuterie, seared squid salad, tortilla espanola, paella and red wine soaked oranges for dessert.  Each day this week, I'll post a recipe so that by next weekend, you can recreate this meal yourself!

This sexy and sensational salad is super easy and sure to make your guests swoon!  :) The only thing is that you should plan ahead since it is best to marinate it for at least 3 hours.

Seared Squid, Olive, Tomato and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon zested
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 bag salad arugula.
handful of cherry or grape tomatoes
small handful of kalamata olives

Directions:

1. Clean squid and cut tubes in half lengthwise. Remove any extra cartilage or particles (we did not have to do anything with the squid we bought from Whole Foods).  Rinse and pat dry (with paper towel)
2. Marinate the squid with garlic, chili, lemon zest and parsley for a minimum of 3 hours, or a maximum of a day.
3. When ready to cook, heat a saute pan over high heat. Drizzle with olive oil and sear until the squid is just cooked (approx 1 minute - it will be opaque throughout) - do NOT overcook!  Remove from pan. Squeeze some lemon juice over cooked squid
4. In the pan, deglaze with a splash of dry white wine (we used pinot grigio), add chopped tomatoes and olives and simmer for a few minutes.
5. In a large salad bowl toss arugula with freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon or more to your preference), a drizzle of olive oil and some pepper.
6. To plate, put a small bed of arugula, top with squid, tomatoes and olives!

Listen: Oscar Lopez - Guitarras from Heaven

For music mondays, I am sharing a classic from one of my favorite Spanish guitarists.

This week, I will be sharing different recipes from Spain so that, should you desire, you can host a Spanish dinner party next weekend! Stay tuned...

Bake: DeliciousLA Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Most of the best recipes have a story behind them. There are many different ways to make banana bread - this is the recipe I've been using since high school.  I had a friend named Ellen with whom I'd rollerblade or bike with after school. We had a tradition of making the bread and popping it in the oven before heading  outdoors. Then about an hour of exercise later, we'd go back to her house and eat warm yummy banana bread fresh out of the oven!  This is her mom's secret recipe + chocolate chips. It yields a less sweet, light colored banana bread that pairs really nicely with a few chocolate chips.

Delicious LA Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 extremely ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• A handful or so of chocolate chips (as many as you like!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mash bananas in a small bowl - set aside
3. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl, add eggs one at a time, add vanilla
4. Mix Flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl
5. Add to dry mixture to butter/sugar/egg mixture, add mashed bananas, stir to blend (batter will be lumpy!)
6. Pour into a loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 min or until done. 

*Variations: I usually add a generous shake of ground cinnamon. Sometimes, I substitue 1/4 c of flour with 1/4 cup instant oatmeal. 

Cook: Incredible Roast Chicken & Potatoes Dinner

We have been wanting to try Thomas Keller's (of the famed French Laundry) "My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken" recipe for a while. We finally made it last weekend and it was AWESOME. I'm sharing the recipe today so that maybe you can make it this weekend! It's an incredibly easy recipe so don't hesitate to try it. It would work great on a weeknight as well.  We made only very slight modifications to the original recipe shared on epicurious, here is our version.

DeliciousLA 5 lb Roast Chicken and Potatoes (makes 4 to 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• One 5 to 6 pound farm raised chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a few thyme sprigs, plus some 2 Tablespoons minced thyme
• a few rosemary sprigs

• Baby Potatoes (we used a 1.5lb bag of Dutch Yellow baby potatoes), sliced in half
• a little bit of salt 
• 3 garlic cloves sliced 
• a couple of rosemary sprigs
• Drizzle of Olive oil

* You will also need some kitchen twine
* Dijon mustard to serve

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F
2. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. (The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better)
3. Salt and pepper the cavity, stuff a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary in the center
4. Truss the bird. See this video to learn how. 
5. Salt the chicken, TK recommends "raining the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp salty flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon).   Season with pepper
6. Place the chicken in a roasting pan (we didn't use the rack).
7. Prepare the potatoes (halved) by tossing with a drizzle of olive oil (it doesn't need much as later it will cook in chicken fat) with sliced garlic, rosemary springs, and a little bit of salt.
8. Add potatoes to pan surrounding the chicken. Place pan in the oven. 
9. Roast until the chicken is done (the potatoes take the same time) - our chicken took about 60 minutes but cooking times may vary based on your oven. The best way to test doneness is with a meat thermometer. The thighs should be 185F, and the breast should be 165F
10. Remove from oven, and add the minced thyme to the pan. 
11. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let rest for 15 minutes on the cutting board.
12. Remove twine.  Removed legs and thighs and then keep on eating!!!

TK recommends serving with mustard on the side, and slathering the meat with butter. We didn't do the butter part as the chicken was plenty juicy and rich already. This recipe really was worth all the hype. It was the best homemade roast chicken either of us had ever eaten. We served it with delicious beet, gorgonzola and spiced pecan salad and a buttermilk biscuit. Yum!

Cook: DeliciousLA Beet Gorgonzola and Spiced Pecan Salad

This super tasty and sexy salad is incredibly easy if you are able to get a couple of key ingredients from Trader Joe's.  If not, you can still make it following this recipe on epicurious.

Ingredients:

• one box trader joe's steamed and peeled ready to eat baby beets
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 1/3 cup trader joe's sweet and spicy pecans, broken into pieces
• 1 bag (I think 12 oz?) of spring salad mix

• olive oil   (3 or 4 tablespoons)
• sherry wine vinegar   (3 to 6 tablespoons, depending on our preference)
• 1 large garlic clove pressed
• pinch of sugar
• sea salt

Directions:

1. Slice beets into 1/2 centimeter thickness or as desired, put aside
2. Place spring mix into a large salad bowl, with gorgonzola cheese and pecans
3. add beets, but reserve a few slices for garnish
4. In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing.  Although most recipes call for lot of oil, I prefer to use at most a 1:1 ratio of oil:vinegar, sometimes even 1:2.  Whisk to mix the olive oil and sherry wine vinegar, garlic clove and pinch of sugar. Salt to taste. 
5. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to coat.
6. Plate into serving dishes, add beets on top for garnish. Add more cheese/pecans if desired.

Enjoy!