If rabbit isn’t your thing, use 8 skinless chicken thighs.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Paella, Spanish Style
Servings 4people
Equipment
Paella pan for four or large skillet
Ingredients
4ripe plum tomatoespeeled, seeded and chopped
1/4cupolive or avocado oil
1onionfinely chopped
5clovesgarlicfinely chopped
12cupSpanish sherry or white wineoptional but you will need more stock if you leave it out
2lbsrabbit cut into 10 pieces (or 8 chicken thighs)
8ozchorizogrilled if you can, or cooked and cut into ½-inch slices
1½cupsBomba or Arborio riceYou can also use short grain.
2 1/2cupschicken stock
2tspthyme, freshchopped
1tsprosemary, freshchopped
½tspsmoked paprika
Generous pinch saffronsoaked in a small amount of water
Salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
½cupsmall peas (petits pois)fresh or frozen
1red pepperroasted, peeled, seeded, and sliced
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat (or spray pan). Cook onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook for 2 minutes, until garlic is lightly golden; add tomato to pan. Stir in sherry or wine and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Mixture will be very thick and noticeably. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
If you have a BBQ, grill the rabbit/chicken and sausage. Set rabbit/chicken aside. and slice up sausage. Put sausage in the paella pan. Or see next two steps.
Heat remaining olive oil in a 14 to 16-inch paella pan over medium heat. Season rabbit/chicken generously with salt and pepper. Brown rabbit on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Brown chorizo/hot Italian sausage until starting to crisp, about 4 minutes.
Sprinkle rice over sausage in pan. Stir to coat rice in oil. Add reserved tomato mixture, chicken stock, thyme, rosemary, paprika and saffron; stir to evenly distribute rice and sausage. Season with salt and pepper. Lay rabbit/chicken in a single layer over rice. Increase heat to high, bring to a vigorous boil and cook for 3 minutes.
Cover with foil or lid, if your pan has one, place in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil or lid, sprinkle with peas and red pepper strips and return to oven for a couple of minutes. You can also do this last step on the stove, just long enough to heat the vegetables.
Serve in the paella pan.
Notes
If you want a good socarrat leave in the oven a little longer before adding the red peppers and peas.