Cooking for Alan – Dinner #10 Roasted Vegetable Paella with Chicken and Mussels
Tonight’s dinner consisted of just one dish. I had made a fresh spinach salad as a starter, but Alan and I were so eager to dig in to this traditional Spanish dish, that we never bothered with the salad. My recipe for Roasted Vegetable Paella with Chicken and Mussels is an adaptation of Ina Garten’s original.
Since I married a carnivore, I knew I had to add some protein. So this version of paella includes chicken thighs (stays much more tender and juicy that breasts) and mussels. And since my bank account is miniscule compared to the Barefoot Contessa’s…I substituted ground turmeric for saffron threads. I’ve been using turmeric as a substitute for the very expensive saffron for years. It imparts a nice flavor and even better yellow-orange color to any dish. Lastly I used zucchini instead of eggplant and basmati rice instead of Calasparra (paella) rice. My dear husband Alan took a few bites and said, “You can make this dish for me anytime and I will not complain”. I guess that’s his way of saying, “I loved it…this is delicious”?
Roasted Vegetable Paella with Chicken and Mussels
I hope you’ll enjoy my version of a Spanish classic.
Roasted Vegetable Paella with Chicken and Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bell peppers (orange and/or yellow) cut into 1/2 inch-wide strips
- 2 pounds fresh fennel bulbs cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 pound zucchini sliced length wise, then slice 1/2 inch thick
- 1 large red onion diced 3/4 inch
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp sea salt yes...this much
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cups yellow onion diced 1/2 inch
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground Tumeric
- 1 1/2 cups rice Paella style if you can find it
- 1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, undrained packed in water
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika must use smoked variety
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 inch cubes
- 1 pound fresh black mussels
- 6 cups chicken stock keep hot on stove
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese freshly grated
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced (white and green parts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Position racks equally to hold 2 sheet pans.
- In a large bowl, toss peppers, fennel, zucchini and onion in olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Divide the vegetables between 2 sheet pans...spread the veggies out so they roast instead of steam.
- Roast for a total of 40 minutes. Open the oven half way through and toss veggies. Watch closely so that they get a little char...but don't burn. Adjust your oven and cooking time accordingly.
- Remove from oven and let cool. You will add the roasted veggies to the paella towards the end of the cooking process.
- In a separate large saucepan, heat up 6-7 cups of chicken stock...keep at a very low simmer and use the hot stock to add to the paella throughout the cooking process. Adding 1 to 1 1/2 cups at a time.
Heat 3 tablespoons good olive oil in large, deep skillet (or paella pan) over medium heat.
- Add yellow onions...saute 5-8 minutes until cooked through.
- Add garlic and tumeric, saute for one minute.
- Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat all of the rice with the onion, spice mixture.
- Add cubed chicken thighs. Stir to combine.
- In blender, place jar of roasted red peppers (including their liquid) and smoked paprika. Blend until pureed. Pour mixture into skillet. Stir to combine and bring to boil over medium heat.
- Add 1 cup of hot chicken stock and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir to combine and then cook uncovered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the stock has absorbed.
- Continue to cook paella without a lid, adding hot chicken stock one or 2 cups at a time, whenever you see that the stock has mostly absorbed...do this for about 20 more minutes.
- Add roasted vegetables to paella and some more stock. Stir gently.
- Once the rice is tender (will vary from rice to rice) place fresh mussels, valve side down into rice mixture. Cover with lid and cook for another 5 - 8 minutes until mussels open.
- Discard any mussels that did not open.
- Sprinkle the top with sliced scallions.
- Serve in large bowls with shredded Manchego cheese on the side.
Notes
- Don't let the long list of ingredients concern you. About half of them are from the roasted vegetables.
- Plan ahead and roast your veggies way in advance. I roasted mine in the morning and put them in the refrigerator until I needed them later.
- You must stay at the stove for most of the cooking time. Just like making homemade risotto. So pour yourself a nice glass of wine and be patient.
- Watch for the chicken stock to get absorbed and add more HOT stock as needed until the rice is done to your liking.
- Taste often...to check the rice for doneness and flavor.
- My rice seemed to take forever to get tender...so I put a lid on it for part of the cooking to speed things up.
- Do not let the rice stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Stir, stir, stir.
