Cast-Iron Paella
EASIER
GLUTEN-FREE
Makes 6 to 8 servings
The problem with making an authentic Spanish paella is the traditional pan: a concave, shallow pan, a bit like a super-wide wok, that fits into a fire well. Who has such a pan? Who has a fire well? Here’s a way to adapt the technique for a dinner party–worthy dish with a standard pan, stove, and oven. You’ll start the paella on top of the stove and stir the rice just a bit to rub some of its starch into the sauce. After that, the whole thing goes in the oven to finish off while you open the wine. It’s an adaptation shortcut to turn a once-in-a-lifetime dish into a weekend staple. One warning: The skillet is heavy when full. You’ll need two hands to move it, as well as dry pot holders.
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
Up to ½ teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh mild pork or turkey sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
½ cup dry sherry or rosé wine
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1½ tablespoons mild smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons dried thyme
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
Up to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground dried yellow mustard
½ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups uncooked white Valencia, bomba, arborio, or other medium-grain white rice
1 pound medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
12 mahogany or other thin-shelled small clams
½ pound mussels, debearded and scrubbed if necessary
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the broth and saffron in a medium saucepan. Set over low heat to warm but do not bring to a simmer.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 14- or 15-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron. Add the sausage and chicken thighs; brown well on all sides, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the onion and fennel to the skillet; cook, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent and begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the sherry and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a full simmer and reduce until the liquid is half its original volume, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, pepper flakes, mustard, and salt. Stir well and cook until bubbling, probably less than 1 minute. Add the rice and stir constantly until the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour in the broth and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to look like a very wet risotto, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in the sausage and chicken thighs. Artfully arrange the seafood on top of the rice, setting the clams and mussels hinge side down in the saucy rice.
8. Slip the skillet into the oven and bake until the rice is tender, the meat is cooked through, and the bivalves have opened, about 20 minutes. To test if the paella is ready, use a small spoon to pull it back from the pan’s side. Check to make sure there’s just the barest amount of liquid left. Then scoop up a few grains of rice and taste them for tenderness.
9. Set the skillet aside for 10 minutes at room temperature. Discard any unopened bivalves just before serving.
Paella often has a crunchy bottom, called the socarrat. To achieve that here, set the finished paella on the stove over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes—but no more or the rice will start to burn. Keep checking by pulling some of the paella away from the side of the skillet and looking at the rice on the bottom to see if it’s developed a lightly browned, dried out crust. But be careful: Because of an abundance of natural sugars, the rice will quickly burn thereafter.