This could barely be called paella, but I've had such a taste for it and have always wanted to try to make it.  I did a dress rehearsal with chicken instead of shellfish and soujdouk in lieu of chorizo.  So this is my paella, super-ghetto GemFOX style (made with whatever food's on hand).


I divided two chicken leg quarters into 3 pieces (cutting through the 2 joints).  I seared and rendered it in hot dry wok, salted/peppered, drained off most of the fat.  I removed it from the pan and sauteed veggies: chopped onion, celery, carrot, tomato, and roasted garlic. When those became tender I added chopped red bell pepper.  Then I stirred in 1 1/2 cups well-washed rice.

I put the chicken back in, added 2 Cups of water and brought it to boil, then added chicken bouillon and saffron.  If I had stock I would've used that instead of water/bouillon.  I then added sliced soudjouk (Turkish sausage), reduced heat to medium, and simmered, covered, for 1/2 hour.

After the rice is completely cooked and the water absorbed, I turn the heat up a bit to caramelize the rice on the bottom because I just love that crust.  If I had a wider pot I'd have even more of that!

I reserved the celery greens for garnish.  It's peppery and fresh and tastes great with the paella.


Gonna save my pennies and hope for scallops, shrimp, mussels, and chorizo to go on sale!