PAELLA ON THE GRILL




From time to time, we’ll give you an exclusive preview of recipes that will be featured on the next season of Barbecue University on PBS. Here’s the first—Paella on the Grill—cooked over wood as it was centuries ago in Eastern Spain. The filming and production crew devoured it on the spot.


Paella on the Grill

Serves 6.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 chorizo sausages
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon hot water for 15
minutes
5 to 6 cups hot chicken stock or water
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
12 mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound squid, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch rings (or more shrimp)
1/4 cup cooked green peas

You’ll also need: wood for a fire; Tuscan grill or cast iron grill grate; a large paella pan.

Build a wood fire in a fire pit or large ranch grill. Place a
Tuscan grill on top and place the paella pan on top. Add the olive
oil and preheat. Add the chorizo and fry until browned on all
sides, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chorizo to a foil pan.
When cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces.

Season the chicken pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. Add
them to the paella pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per
side.Transfer the chicken to the foil pan.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add the onions and
bell peppers and sauté until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add
the garlic half way through. Add the tomatoes and half the parsley
and cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice and sauté until the grains are shiny, 1 minute. Add
the wine and bring to a boil. Add the stock and saffron and bring
to a boil. Simmer the rice, uncovered, for 15 minutes, adding
stock as needed to keep it moist. Stir in the chorizo and chicken
and cook for 5 minutes. Add the clams and mussels and cook for 3
minutes. Add the shrimp and squid. Cook the paella until the
rice is tender, the clam and mussels shells have opened, and all the
ingredients are completely cooked. Correct the seasoning, adding
salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, sprinkle the paella with the cooked peas and
remaining parsley. Serve at once.