Palella

It's Summer!!! Officially, and I have the sun burn to prove it. Do your eating habbits change in the summer? Mine definitely do. Something about the warm weather, makes me want to switch up everything I eat. So while all winter long, when I needed that saffron fix, I made risotto, now it's Palella time! Now that I have a grill, I would like to figure out how to grill this (because what doesn't taste better on the gril?!), but in the mean time, here is a quick palella that you can make in the oven and tastes just like your on the beach in Spain!

Palella:
2 chorizo style sausage links, raw
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 vidalia onion
1 bell pepper
1 garlic clove
2 cups of rice, medium grain
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp saffron
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 medium tomato
1 can of artichokes, drained and washed
1 lb of mussels
1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt, pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and position rack in the center. Grease a stone or metal baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and put in oven while pre-heating. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the chorizo into 1/2 inch slices and put in the pan. Cook until edges are charred and the chorizo is fragrant, about 2 minutes, set chorizo asside. Add remaining olive oil to the pan. Cut chicken into small chunks and season with salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan and brown on all sides. Lower heat to medium. Dice the onion, garlic, and pepper and add to the pan and cook until onions soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Add rice to the pan and "toast" until slightly opaque, about two minutes. Add stock, paprika, saffron, and sherry vinegar and stir. Pour the contents of the pan into the prepared baking dish. Cook for 15 minutes. Dice tomato, and cut the artichokes in half. Add the tomato, reserved chorizo, artichokes to palella, and gently stir to combine, trying not to disturb the very bottom layer of rice (so a crust forms). Cook until the all the stock is absoarbed, about 10 minutes longer. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Add mussels to the palella as well. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels open, about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy! (adapted from epicurious)

Happy Eating.