Paella...yum!

PAELLA

I made this paella with my sister Claudia and it was the best I ever had!!

Barbecue University by Steven Raichlen
Serves 6
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 chorizo sausages
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 cups Valencia style rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon saffron

5 to 6 cups hot chicken stock or water
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
12 mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound squid, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch rings (or more shrimp)
1/4 cup cooked green peas

You'll also need: a large paella pan.

 Place the paella pan on top. Add the olive oil and preheat. Add the chorizo and fry until browned on all sides, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chorizo to a foil pan. When cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Season the chicken pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. Add them to the paella pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.Transfer the chicken to the foil pan.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan.Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic half way through. Add the tomatoes and half the parsley and cook for 1 minute.
Add the rice and saute until the grains are shiny, 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the stock and saffron and bring to a boil.Simmer the rice, uncovered, for 15 minutes, adding stock as needed to keep them moist. Stir in the chorizo and chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add the clams and mussels and cook for 3 minutes.Add the shrimp and squid. Cook the paella until the rice is tender, the clam and mussels shells have opened, and all the ingredients are completely cooked. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, sprinkle the paella with the cooked peas and remaining parsley. Serve at once.



Traditional Apple Pie

So Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm thinking of what to cook for this festivity. I was thinking of making pie or cream chesee, so I decided to go online to search for the best apple pie recipe there is. I came accross Tyler Florence from Food Network. It seems so easy to follow. I will add the vanilla ice cream as a side.

FYI- this is my first pie!! I will add pics later.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shortening (recommended: Crisco)
• Ice water
• Filling, recipe follows
• Serving suggestion: warm with vanilla ice-cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium-mixing bowl cut the shortening and salt into the flour by hand or with a pastry blender hands until it's the texture of cornmeal. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ice water over the mixture and mix just until the dough is moistened. Repeat by adding 6 to 8 tablespoons water (one at a time) until all the dough is just moist. Take care not to over mix.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the dough in half and roll into a ball. Roll 1 ball into a circle to fit a 9 to 10-inch pie plate. To transfer the pastry to the pie plate, wrap it around a rolling pin and ease it into the pie plate. Be careful not to stretch the pastry. Trim it even with the edges of the pie plate. Add the apple filling into the pastry lined pie plate. Make sure they are laying flat. Cut butter into small pieces and put on top of the filling.
Roll the remaining pastry into a 12-inch circle. Place on top of the filling. Trim off 1-inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired. Cut slits to allow steam to escape when baking. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over the pie.
Cover the edges with foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Filling:

• 1/2 cup to 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups apples cut into thin slices (recommended: Green Golden and Jonathans)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl combine the apples, with the brown and white sugar. Add flour, cinnamon and continue mixing until they are well coated.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

My oven roasted chicken!

Hi everyone!

We had company over and I decided to make an oven roasted chicken and came out great. I took the recipe from Ina Garten from Food Network. I got a lot of compliments from this recipe. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
• Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

this was a great recipe!