Paella-palooza

Our good friends Pam & Tom host an annual Spanish themed part at their beautiful home in Paso Robles. It's an awesome event. We get to make the leisurely drive south to Paso, do some wine tasting/buying and then enjoy a great party with a bunch of wonderful friends. The weather was gorgeous all weekend long and we had a spectacular time.

This year the ante was upped to 60 guests so the food got blasted into overdrive as well. A fantastic collection of tapas was created including; Spanish Tortilla (egg, potato & onion frittata with garlic aioli) by my darling wife Kathy & home made chorizo sauteed in Spanish wine by John.

Then for the finale, Mike, Vince, Tom and I each produced a Paella to share with the crowd. Just for laughs we decided to costume up like the encierros of Pamplona.

L-R Mike, Yours Truly, Vince & Tom....special thanks to Vince for masking my boiler.

I'll share photos of the Paella and my recipe, if the other guys want share as well they will do so in the comments below.

Mike's Paella featured chicken, chorizo and lots of peppers.

My paella featured chorizo, Iberco ham & clams

Vince's Paella used chicken and andouille with some artfully carved green onions that were great to nibble on while enjoying the dish

Tom went all seafood in his with mussels, squid and shrimp

My recipe: (for the nuts & bolts of the process click HERE )

Hardware:

15-18" Paella pan (a thin stainless skillet will work too)

Software:

2c Spanish "bomba" Rice
4c Chicken Stock
18-20 Small Fresh Clams
1.5c Whole Canned Clams
3/4lb Iberco Ham (sliced in .5" strips)
3/4lb Dry Spanish Chorizo
1 Whole Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
4-5 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Whole Red Bell Pepper (julienne)
1 Whole Green Bell Pepper (julienne)
1c Fresh Asparagus Tips
1Tbsp Dry Oregano
1tsp White Pepper
1tsp  Turmeric
1 Healthy Pinch Saffron Strands
2 Lemons (wedged)
2Tbsp Olive Oil

• Toast the Oregano, White Pepper, Turmeric & Saffron in a dry pan till fragrant then set aside.
• Heat oil, add Onion & Garlic and cook until the onion begins to become translucent. 
• Add Chorizo and cook until the fat begins to render out. 
• Add Rice and fry a bit until you can smell it getting a bit toasty & nutty. Add Bell Peppers, Spices, Canned Clams & Stock. Stir to release the fond from the bottom of the pan and continue stirring until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and don't stir it again.
• Once roughly 3/4 of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice (no stirring!) begin evenly distributing your Iberco Ham, Fresh Clams, Asparagus Tips and lemon around the pan.
• Allow to cook until the rice has completely absorbed the stock.
• Let sit for ~5min then serve.