Paella Mixta
Tags: Chicken Dinner Pork Seafood Spanish
Yield: 6
- 9-1/3 cups water, divided
- 1/2 pound small clams, purged of sand (see note)
- Salt
- 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 pound pork spareribs, ribs cut apart and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 pound chicken thighs or legs, cut into 8 to 10 pieces
- Freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 large raw head-on shrimp with shells
- 1 pound cuttlefish or squid, cleaned and cut into 2-by-1/2-inch pieces
- 2 garlic doves, finely chopped
- 4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped or coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (sweet smoked paprika)
- 2 pinches saffron threads (about 20 total), lightly toasted and ground
- 3 cups short- or medium-grain rice
- In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of the water to a boil and add the clams and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, leaving the clams in the water (Discard any that do not open.)
- Meanwhile, put the mussels in a small saute pan, add 1/3 cup of the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until all of the mussels have opened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside, covered. Do not drain. (Discard any that do not open.)
- Season the pork ribs and chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a 16- to 18-inch paella pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork and chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large platter. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until pink, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to platter.
- Remove any solids left in the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and then prepare the sofrito in the same pan. Add the cuttlefish and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping anything that sticks to the pan, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and 2 pinches of salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time, until the tomato begins to darken, about 5 minutes. Return the pork and chicken to the paella pan along with any juices from the platter, and cook, stirring from time to time, until the sofrito is pasty, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, strain the broth from the clams and reserve it. Discard one shell (the empty one) from each clam, and set aside the rest.
- When the sofrito is ready, sprinkle in the pimentón, letting the flavors meld for a few seconds while stiffing constantly. Add 4 cups of the reserved clam broth plus the remaining 4 cups of water, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the clams and the saffron. Taste for salt and adjust the seasoning as needed. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Sprinkle in the rice. With a wooden spoon, probe the pan to make sure the rice is evenly distributed. Do not stir again. Lay the shrimp on top. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al punto, with just a bite to it.
- Remove the paella from the heat, cover with paper towels, and Jet rest for 5 minutes. Discard one shell (the empty one) from each mussel, and arrange the mussels in their remaining shells decoratively around the pan, pointing downward. Serve.
- Clams: To purge clams of sand, soak in cool water with 2 pinches of salt for at least 30 minutes.
