Fall Paella

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 rabbit, cut into serving size pieces
• 1/2 lb chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
• 2 cups small brussels sprouts
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 parsnips, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 quarts chicken stock or 2 quarts water
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Recipe

• 1 bring a pot of salted water to a boil. add brussels sprouts. boil 5 minutes and then transfer sprouts to ice water. drain and set aside. (you could also cook the brussels sprouts in the broth with the rice and the rest of the ingredients but overcooked brussels sprouts are bad news so do so at your own risk).
• 2 place sea salt and saffron in a spice grinder and grind until pulverized.
• 3 bring the stock/water to a bare simmer in a pot.
• 4 cover the bottom of a paella pan or other large pan in a layer of olive oil and heat over medium high heat. add rabbit pieces and fry until golden on all sides. remove from pan and set aside. brown chorizo pieces and set aside.
• 5 working over medium heat, add diced vegetables. cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and starting to brown. add the rice and stir to coat grains with oil. clear an area in the center of the pan and add olive oil. add the salt-saffron mixture, the paprika and the garlic. cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. stir everything in the pan together. add most of the simmering stock and the reserved meats and bring to boil. simmer, stirring occasionally, until stock is absorbed. try the rice; if it still feels underdone, add more stock and keep stirring.
• 6 as the last of the stock is absorbed, toasty aromas will start to emanate from the bottom of the pan. don’t be alarmed! if you’ve kept your heat moderate enough, the rice isn’t burning; it’s reaching a crispy dark brown. this layer of cooked rice on the bottom — the socarrat — is the best part of the paella; it’s really worth turning off your burning rice radar in order to allow it to develop.
• 7 when you’ve got as much socarrat as you think you can stand, turn off the heat and stir in the reserved brussels sprouts. jam the sprig of rosemary in the center of the rice and cover. let stand ten minutes.
• 8 you can serve the paella by placing it in the middle of the table, handing everyone a spoon and telling everyone to dig in, but side plates and forks and knives can be helpful for managing those intransigent pieces of rabbit. how ever you serve it, make sure to squeeze plenty of fresh lemon juice over top.