One Pot Meal: Springtime Paella
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my new Dutch oven and the ensuing excitement surrounding this lovely, shiny red pot that now lives in my kitchen. Since then, our fridge decided to stop working, then start again, leaving me a bit terrified to buy any perishables. However, our new fridge arrived Saturday night and yesterday afternoon I headed off to Whole Foods Paycheck to restock. While there, I picked up ingredients to make a couple of the recipes from Elizabeth Yarnell’s Glorious One-Pot Meals – perfect for a dreary, chilly day like yesterday.
Because the rain and cold make me want spring to hurry up and arrive, the first recipe I decided to tackle was Springtime Paella (p. 142) – a variation of the traditional Spanish chicken, seafood and saffron rice dish. This version only calls for chicken, but provides suggestions for substitutions; since this was my first attempt (and because Dave isn’t crazy about shrimp), I stuck with chicken.
As I mentioned before, the keys to Yarnell’s method for making an entire meal in one step are: 1) layering the ingredients in the proper order, and 2) using the correct ratio of liquids to grains.
I made sure to start my little experiment early enough so that we’d have plenty of time to make it to Taco Mac to eat in case dinner was a total disaster. And, in the interest of not boring you to tears, I only took pictures after every couple of layers of ingredients. That’s how I roll: Always thinking about others.
In any case, the whole thing took maybe 20 minutes to put together. First, a layer of onions and garlic:
Next, there’s a layer of ladyfingers, then beef sauteed with peas and onions… Just kidding. It’s actually arborio rice, followed by broth mixed with saffron, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes:
Then, chicken and red bell peppers:
Finally, the remaining vegetables: The recipe called for frozen peas and cremini mushrooms, but I also added frozen green beans. I was going to add a can of drained, diced fire-roasted tomatoes as well, but had a brain fart and forgot. Oh well. The filled pot then gets topped with several sprigs of fresh thyme:
The whole thing goes into the oven, covered, at 450F for 45 minutes. Or, as the recipe suggests, until “3 minutes after the aroma of a fully-cooked meal escapes the oven.” I don’t want to split hairs or anything, but that wins the prize for vaguest, most random, unfollowable cooking directions ever written. In any case, I just set the timer and 45 minutes later, out it came:
And here is the final, plated product:
The verdict? This dish is pretty far from the bright yellow rice and assortment of bite-sized chicken and seafood that come to mind when I think of a traditional paella. Nonetheless, it was pretty freakin’ delicious, especially considering the (lack of) effort that went into it. Both pieces of chicken were fully cooked, even though they differed in size significantly. The vegetables were tasty and not mushy, and the rice was flavorful (and plentiful). I tend to like my rice a little drier and less cooked, so next time I will adjust the liquid and cooking time down slightly. And even though it creates an extra dish to wash, I plan to sear the meat before putting it in the Dutch oven to better seal in the juices. Next up: Chicken Satay!
