Mario Batali's Paella

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 10 medium chicken drumsticks
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups medium shrimp, enough for about 5 per person
• 1 medium spanish onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 cup pureed ripe tomato
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon saffron thread
• 2 tablespoons sweet pimientos (spanish smoked paprika)
• 4 quarts chicken stock
• 2 cups bomba or other short-grain rice
• 1 lb manila clams, scrubbed
• 1 cup fresh peas
• 10 asparagus spears, stalks cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 inch piece sausage

Recipe

• 1 preheat an oven to 400°. place the drumsticks on a baking sheet and season all over with salt and extra-virgin olive oil. bake for 20 to 22 minutes and set aside.
• 2 in the meantime, heat a 14- to 18-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. add the oil and heat until smoking. add the shrimp and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. transfer to a plate and set aside. add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. push the onions into the center of the pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the salt around the edges of the pan.
• 3 add the tomato puree, stirring it into the onions, and cook for 3 minutes. add the remaining salt, the saffron, pimentón and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. add the rice and stir well to distribute it evenly. add clams, drumsticks, arranging them nicely throughout the pan. then add the peas and asparagus and bring the stock back to a boil, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. taste for salt and add it if needed, then cook, again without stirring, for 10 more minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the pan starts to make a crackling noise (don't worry, this is what you want).
• 4 remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.