Lobster and Shrimp Paella

Firstly, let me apologize for my extended absence.    We have been travelling a ton and life has just gotten a bit crazy... Whenever C goes out of town, it is a seafood extravaganza around here.  I had originally planned on making paella for a dinner party, one seafood and one chicken & sausage.  I decided that might have been a lofty goal, so I decided to make it for Miss F and my parents one night while C was out of town for work.  This paella couldn't be any easier, it is brimming with shrimp and lobster, which are the standouts of paella for me.  Now that I know how easy it is to make, I will be making this for a dinner party in the future.  This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten.

Lobster and Shrimp Paella

¼ cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 cups white rice
5 cups chicken broth
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 lobster tails, split in half
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ cup white wine
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven, add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, tomatoes, saffron, red pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir the rice gently and nestle the lobster tails and shrimp into the rice and sprinkle with the paprika. Return the pot, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 15 minutes more. Return the pot to the stove top over medium heat. Stir in the wine and peas, stir until the wine is absorbed. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve, garnished with lemon wedges.

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Arroz Con Pollo

I absolutely loved this meal. No one else did. C said that it tasted too smoky (paprika?) and then Miss F chimed in with the same complaints. They were both happy to have the chicken only, but both refused the delicious rice, which was infuriating since I had made a huge pot full.  I am tempted to try it again and really cut down on the paprika and amp up the tomato flavor, maybe with some tomato paste.  The leftovers were just as good as the night I served it, which was great since I had a ton of leftovers to eat.  This recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine.

Arroz Con Pollo

8 bone-in chicken pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 ¼ cups dry white wine
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
¾ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes including juice
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet and add the onion, bell pepper, and salt to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and rice, then cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, saffron, and bay leaf. Nestle chicken in rice, adding any juices from plate. Cover and put the whole pan in the oven, bake for 45 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and peas, uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

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Lobster Linguine with Saffron Cream Sauce

Lobsters were on sale for $3 each the week of Valentine's day, so I knew I had to get a few and figure out something to make with them. I love the flavor and color that saffron gives to sauces and I was curious to try it with lobster. After doing some looking around for a saffron lobster dish, it seemed like a pasta was the way to go.  I didn't want to fuss with lobster ravioli, but still wanted a pasta dish.  Thanks to This Hungry Kitten for the recipe inspiration, it was an amazing meal.  You could easily substitute shrimp for the lobster, just add a couple minutes to the sauté time to get the shrimp cooked through.  My only regret is that I had to send all the leftovers home with my parents, since I knew C would freak out if I tried to re-heat it when he was home.

Lobster Linguine with Saffron Cream Sauce

¼ teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup white wine
4 small lobsters, steamed and cooled
1 pound linguine
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cream
¼ cup loosely packed chopped parsley

Steep the saffron threads in the white wine for five minutes. Remove the lobster meat from the shell, chop into bite sized pieces. Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the lobster meat to the pan, sauté for a minute or so. Add the saffron wine to the pan and reduce for a minute or two. Stir in the cream and parsley, simmer for five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the linguine into the sauce. Plate and serve.

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Latin Style Chicken and Rice

There were so many recipes I wanted to try from the One Pot Meal Recipe Swap. I love only dirtying one dish and having an entire meal in one. the Latin Style Chicken and Rice one pot meal spoke to me, I adore saffron and peas, so I knew it would be a hit. Miss F was not a fan, she only like the peas. C ate his, which shocked me considering he has not been a big fan of saffron in the past. I really loved this dish, it comes together quickly and I usually have all the ingredients on hand, which is perfect for a weeknight meal.

Latin Style Chicken and Rice

2 chicken breasts, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup medium or long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas,

Heat butter and oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until foam subsides. Add chicken, cook approximately 4-5 min per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Cook onion and garlic with ¼ tsp each salt and pepper over medium heat until golden, about 6 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth, bay leaf, and saffron; bring to a full boil. Return chicken to the pot, nestling it in the rice, keeping as much rice around, not under, the chicken. Also add any juices from the plate. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, the rice is tender, and most of the liquid has absorbed; about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Cover pot with a kitchen towel, and then the lid, and let stand until all of the liquid has absorbed, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

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Spanish Chicken with Rice

This is sort of a fake-out paella. C doesn't eat seafood of any kind, which makes cooking paella a challenge. I tried to adapt it to an easy weeknight meal. I thought it was really good, not as good as paella, but good enough for a Thursday night dinner. C on the other hand was not a fan. He thought there was "some weird spice", at least he is consistent.

Spanish Chicken with Red Bell Peppers and Rice
serves 4

1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 ½ cups white rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes including juice
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
¾ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Using a deep 12-inch heavy skillet, brown chicken in hot oil on all sides. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate. Add onion, red pepper, and salt to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and rice, then cook, stirring 1 minute. Add wine and boil, uncovered 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, saffron, and bay leaf. Nestle chicken in rice adding any juices from plate.

Cook, covered, over low heat until chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover skillet and let stand 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

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Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce

I absolutely loved this, C not as much.

C: "I like it all but the sauce".
Me: "So, you like the chicken and pasta only?"
C: "Yes, something in the sauce tastes weird"
Me: "Saffron?"
C: "I don't know what it is. Next time make mine without sauce."

Mmmmmm...nothing sounds better than chicken and pasta with no sauce.



Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken cutlets (scallopine)
2 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Turn the heat to medium, add the shallot and the garlic and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated.

Add the chicken broth and saffron threads, bring to a simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Add the cream, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

I served it over spinach fettucine.

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