Paella on the Grill

Paella is a traditional rice dish of Spain.  It is a combination of saffron-flavored rice and various meats and/or shellfish.  Paella's name comes from paellera, the flat, round pan in which it is cooked.

After cooking paella, there is usually a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, called socarrat. To paella connoisseurs this is highly desired and is essential to a good paella. Even heat under the flat paella pan helps to achieve this. I have cooked paella on the stovetop.  It tasted great but I had to move the pan a lot to get even cooking underneath it and never got a real crispy socarrat. My solution to this was to cook a paella on our BBQ grill.  Traditionally, paella is cooked over open wood fires so this is a close substitute. It worked wonderfully!  I turned all the burners on the grill and the paella pan had even heat throughout. Next I need to try it in our wood-fired pizza oven. 

 

Paella is a one-pan dish.  It's not hard to make but does take some time to get all the liquid absorbed in the rice and to achieve the crunchy socarrat. We made this one Friday evening.  The weather was wonderful, we opened a bottle of wine and chatted while the paella was cooking. 

There are two key ingredients in paella.  The first is a short grain rice.  If you can find a paella rice (bomba), that is preferable.  My local stores didn't have any so I used an Arborio rice.  The second key ingredient is the spice saffron. A little saffron goes a long way, I only used 1/2 teaspoon in my paella.  I also soaked mine in the chicken broth so that the saffron flavor was more evenly distributed throughout the paella.

You can add or substitute other meats and shellfish such as chicken and clams to the dish.

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd, it makes a lot. Traditionally paella is served straight from the pan, it's placed in the middle of the table and everyone eats from the side closest to them. If you're not comfortable with that, serve it in a bowl!

Paella on the Grill

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 lb. smoked Andouille sausage, sliced
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 small fresh tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat your grill, for a gas grill have all burners on and leave on medium-high.

Put chicken broth in a saucepan, add the saffron.  Warm up on grill.

Put the paella pan on the grill and drizzle the bottom with the olive oil.

When the pan is hot, add the sliced smoked sausage and cook for a few minutes.  Add the onions and garlic, stir for a minute more, or until they are releasing their aroma.

Add the tomatoes and paprika.  Stir until combined then add the saffron-infused stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame so it simmers gently for 15 minutes.

Add the rice.  Stir everything in the pan thoroughly.  Once mixed thoroughly, do not stir again.  Arrange the shrimp on the mixture.  Continue to cook the rice over medium to low heat.  Add the green peas when very little liquid is left in the pan.

Increase the heat to high for a short time to create the crusty socarrat. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

It takes a bit of time for all the liquid to be absorbed.  Grab a glass of wine and relax!

Smoked Salmon Spread

It's Labor Day Weekend!  Yikes, where did the summer go?

The last 3-day weekend of summer usually involves backyard parties and picnics.  This is a great dip for such occasions. It involves no cooking and actually tastes better if you make it a few days early.  I love make-ahead dishes for easing the stress in my life!

The recipe comes from one of Ina Garten's earlier cookbooks Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I made this for our recent RV trip to the Napa Valley and served it with bagel chips. It was a great addition to our nightly wine and appetizer treat!

Smoked Salmon Spread

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth.  Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well.  Chill and serve with crudités or crackers.

Lobster BLT's

I rarely sit to watch TV, but I often have the TV on while I’m doing other things, such as sewing or in the kitchen.  It was 100 degrees the other day, much too hot to continue with the things I was doing outside. So I made a glass of iced tea, grabbed my cross stitch, and watched some recorded Food Network Shows. Valerie Bertinelli was making these lobster BLT sandwiches and I was instantly mesmerized.  My Hubbers and I love BLT’s, especially in the summer.  Never, in my wildest dreams did it occur to me to add lobster to them. The ingredients went on my grocery list.

Now in Central California, fresh produce is plentiful and reasonably priced.  Lobsters? Not so much.  I had to resort to getting 2 frozen lobster tails.  They cost more per pound than filet mignon. But, I was obsessed with making them so in my basket they went!

The sandwiches were amazing!  A little lobster salad topped by the traditional BLT toppings of bacon, lettuce and tomato. Though the recipe didn’t call for it, I added some avocado slices.  I usually include avocado in my BLT’s so it seemed natural to do that with this sandwich.

The lobster salad has capers in it.  I love capers and the little touch of saltiness they provide. The vinegar and lemon juice adds a little extra zing.

I knew the sandwiches would be filling and rich so I served them with just some fresh melon slices. It was our evening meal and my Hubbers loved the meal!  

Lobster BLT’s

Three 7-ounce lobster tails, fresh or frozen, thawed if using frozen

8 slices bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise, plus more for spreading
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely sliced celery
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices white bread, toasted (I used sourdough)
4 leaves green leaf lettuce, torn in half
2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster tails and boil until the shells are bright red and the lobster is just cooked through, about 7 minutes.  Drain and submerge in a bowl of ice water to cool.  

Using kitchen shears, remove the shells by the underside down the middle and then cutting the top.  Pull out the meat, rinsing or wiping off any residual shell fragments, and dice into ½-inch pieces.

Put the bacon in a cold, large skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and browned, 10 to 12 minutes (I did in the microwave). Drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

In a medium bowl, stir together the 1/3 cup mayonnaise, shallots, celery, capers, vinegar, lemon zest and juice.  Fold in the diced lobster.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lay out the bread slices on a work surface and spread each with mayonnaise.  Top half of the slices with 2/3 cup lobster salad, 2 slices bacon, and 2 tomato slices.  Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper.  Top with a piece of lettuce and cover with the remaining bread slices.