Colombian Paella

Total Time: 3 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 1/2 cups medium grain rice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (i love garlic a lot, increase or reduce according to taste)
• 1 teaspoon powdered saffron
• 1 lb chicken breast, cubed
• 3 tomatoes, peeled,seeded,and chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped (i use spanish onion)
• 8 ounces chorizo sausage, finely diced (spanish is not spicy, mexican is)
• 1 cup cooked cannellini beans
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 cup cooked chopped green beans
• 1 -2 lb clams or 1 -2 lb mussels (i use 15 clams)
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined (leave the tail on, and the smaller the shrimp the more you'll have)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dry wine (i use chardonnay)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe

• 1 if you're lazy like i am and you use canned beans, just rinse them and set them aside to drain.
• 2 in a separate pan, bring the chicken stock to just barely simmering. add the saffron and keep it heated (or use a microwave for about 6 minutes on high before you have to add it, below)
• 3 using 1/4 cup olive oil, cook the chicken over medium heat until browned on all sides. (use a large shallow pan. i use a 13" diameter cast iron skillet)
• 4 remove the chicken to a bowl full of paper towels to drain and drain the oil in the pan (if you want, reserve 1 tbsp from that instead of using the additional tbsp, i haven't noticed a real difference).
• 5 in 1 tbsp oil, cook the onions, garlic, and tomato over the lowest heat possible for about 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly (do not let any of these brown).
• 6 return the chicken to the pan and stir until well mixed.
• 7 add about 4 cups chicken stock and 1/2 cup of the wine.
• 8 simmer for about 5 minutes.
• 9 add everything but the rice.
• 10 stir to blend and try to keep the clams on the bottom.
• 11 now add all the rice and stir to distribute it evenly, still trying to keep the clams all the way submerged.
• 12 cook over high-ish heat (enough for a vigorous simmer but not exactly a boil) for about 1/2 hr, or until the rice is done.
• 13 if the rice isn't done and all the liquid is absorbed, add 1/2 cup stock with a splash of wine at a time but don't turn it into a soup.
• 14 there is a temptation to dig a spoon under the dish and check the rice.
• 15 don't do it.
• 16 resist it, have a beer instead.
• 17 just make sure there's a little liquid left when the rice is done (you can do that by tilting the pan), and you should end up with a golden brown crust on the bottom which is actually what you should have (if you don't, don't worry i won't tell).
• 18 let the pan sit for about 10-15 minutes to finish absorbing the liquid and getting all the cooking out of its system.
• 19 throw away any clams that didn't open, arrange the rest on top.
• 20 smile, you've just made paella!