SHELLFISH, CHICKEN, AND CHORIZO PAELLA

William Parker & Madeline Delosh

I've always obsessed about paella. It's almost impossible to find even in New York City—(wisely avoid this New York Times-touted clip joint, with its $35 a pitcher Sangria). I've never understood why so something simple and soul-satisfying wasn't more known and available.  I discovered paella on the Catalan coast, just south of the French border, in Cadaques a little whitewashed Moorish village. I never wanted anything else. You'll have it all along the Costa Brava to Barcelona, sitting on terraces by the water (I'll never forget the version with snails at Los Caracoles, off the Ramblas). When you hit Valencia, you'll have it with rabbit.

Saffron.* The briny, oceanic liquor bursting from our local shellfish. The depth of flavor of Chorizo against chicken, and that wonderful, chewy, scrape-the-bottom-of-the-pan rice (what the Spanish called socorrat. Some cheap red wine or Sangria, and you're in paraiso. Madeline Delosh and I collaborated on this version, which proved to be a total knockout.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

5 cups chicken broth

Coarse sea salt

2 teaspoons saffron threads

3 garlic cloves

6 chicken thighs

½ lb. chorizo sausage

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 lb. (500g) ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped or 1½ cups canned tomatoes, finely chopped

2½ cups (1 lb./500g) Spanish paella rice, such as Bomba**

1 cup green peas

8 to 12 Littleneck clams

2 dozen mussels, washed

12 medium shrimp, peeled

1 ½-lb. lobster

Chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a gentle, steady simmer over low heat.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, or in a small bowl with an abrasive surface, grind 1 teaspoon salt and the saffron until a powder forms. Add the garlic and grind with the salt and saffron. Set aside.
3. Cut the chicken thighs in half and slice the chorizo into ¼-inch slices.
4. Place the lobster in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove, then cut in half and set aside in a large bowl. Save as much liquid from the lobster as possible.
5. Place a 16-inch paella pan or a large, wide frying pan Ishallow, if possible)over high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and chorizo and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes (watch out for splattering). Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Reserve the oil in the pan.
6. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starts to brown.  Return the meat to the pan and add the tomatoes, stirring so that the tomatoes are evenly distributed. Add two ladlefuls of the hot stock and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Stir a little stock into the mortar with the saffron mixture and mix well. Pour the contents into the pan.
8. Add the rice to the meat and vegetables in the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, without stirring. Arrange the mussels, shrimp, clams, and lobster on top of the rice mixture. Keeping the pan at a strong, steady simmer, cook until the meat is cooked, the shellfish have opened, and the rice is tender, slightly chewy, and not too soft—about 10 minutes more. Discard any clams or mussels that fail to open. If the paella is not yet done and all the liquid from the shellfish is absorbed, add a little of the reserved stock.
9. Turn the heat off and cover the paella with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Let stand for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop thoroughly and the rice to absorb any remaining liquid. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm, not hot. 

* Saffron has a decent shelf life but not indefinite. Sniff for pungency before using.

** Bomba rice is available at specialty food stores or online.