New England Paella
Our rendition of the flavorful Spanish dish takes its cues from sweet or spicy sausage, littleneck clams, and shrimp. This dish is flexible – other meats such as chicken may be used. Recipe may be halved.
Directions:
1 ½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ lb. spicy or sweet Italian chicken sausage or chorizo
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups long-grain white rice
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. dried rosemary
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. saffron
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (8 oz.) bottle clam juice
2 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup of canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails left on
¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable cooking spray.
In a very large skillet or a stockpot, heat ½ Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan. When cool enough to handle, slice the sausage diagonally into ½ inch slices and set aside.
Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté until softened and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes
Add rice and stir to coat with mixture. Add paprika, rosemary, cumin, saffron, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat rice. Add clam juice and broth to pan and bring mixture to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour rice mixture into prepared baking pan. Add peas and tomatoes and stir to combine. Arrange clams, shrimp, and reserved sausage on top of rice. Cover baking dish with foil.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until rice has absorbed all the liquid and clams have opened. Remove foil and let dish rest for 5 minutes. Discard any clams that did not open.
Garnish with parsley if desired and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.
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