Sunday, December 23, 2012

Mom's Paella for a Home for the Holidays #SundaySupper

This (almost) Christmas Eve, our #SundaySupper group is sharing the dishes, traditions, and snacks that reflect what it means to be Home for the Holidays. Some of us are rekindling memories of a far away home. Others are hungry for the tastes we shared as families and friends now too far away to reach. Many of us are building and cementing new and old traditions for their children, both food and rituals. For if there is one thing that brings us all together, it's the table and the stories we share around it.

This Sunday I'm bringing my mom's recipe for a moderately traditional paella - we used to make it every New Year's Eve (followed by midnight chocolate cheesecake!) in my teens. I had long been interested in the saffron, seafood and sausage pilaf - ever since I discovered the dish in my favourite picture book: Around the World with the Word Gang by Anne Civardi and Graham Philpot. I've written about it before, but never shared it since I never had a photo. I still don't have a photo (you can see a facsimile here), but when it comes to the holiday season I think of her white casserole dish (we don't have a paella pan) piled high with chorizo, clams, mussels, chicken, shrimp and veggies nestled in vibrant yellow rice. We still have little bags of Spanish saffron from my grandparents' last trip to the country, and it really does make paella, well, paella.

The whole recipe is a bit pricey and rich, but it's definitely an exotic, comforting meal for a special occasion, and one I crave with a passion and longing for days gone by. Here's what the rest of us are sharing this week:

Breakfast
- Orange Refrigerator Rolls by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Eggs Benedict by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Holiday Cream Cheese Tea Ring by That Skinny Chick can Bake
- Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake by Small Wallet Big Appetite

Appetizers & Snacks
- Chicken Liver Pate by Tora’s Real Food
- Bindaetteok {Mung Bean Pancakes}by Kimchi Mom
- Crab and Asparagus Soup by The Urban Mrs.

Sides
- Potato Salad {Schwaebischer Kartoffelsalat} by Galactopdx
- Italian Orange Salad by Shockingly Delicious
- Sweet Potato Casserole by Magnolia Days
- Carrots au gratin by Juanitas Cocina 

Main Dishes
- Char Siu Bao – Chinese Roast Pork Buns by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Savory Crepe Cake by Vintage Kitchen Notes 
- West Indian Curried Goat by The ROXX Box
- Pot Cheese and Potato Cheese Pierogies by Cupcakes and Kale chips
- Seafood Gumbo and Grilled Oysters: A Louisiana Christmas Tradition by the Catholic Foodie
- Mom’s Paella by What Smells So Good?
- Portuguese Chorizo Crown Pork Roast by Family Foodie
- Dorie’s Chicken in a Pot by Gotta Get Baked
- New Year’s Eve Buckwheat Noodles with Mochi by The Ninja Baker
- Crab Cakes for Christmas Eve by Daddy Knows Less 
- Mile High Lasagna by Cravings of a Lunatic 

Desserts
- Pizzelles {Italian Wafer Cookies} by Chocolate Moosey 
- Fudge by Dinner Dishes and Desserts 
- Crescent Cookies by Cookistry
- Christmas Stollen by Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks 
- Pfeffernusse by The Foodie Army Wife
- Creme De Menthe Cake by I Run for Wine
- Panettone Bread Pudding by the Country Girl in the Village
- Spiced Gingerbread Gooey Butter Cake | A twist on a St. Louis Favorite by Daily Dish Recipes 
- Chocolate Gingerbread Layer Cake with Eggnog Cream Cheese by Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends
- Jamaican Christmas Pudding by Lovely Pantry
- White Chocolate Cranberry Santa Cookies by Mooshu Jenne
- Christmas Tree Cookies by Damn Delicious 
- Old Fashioned Lady Fingers {Creamhorns} by The Meltaways
- Rose Milk Almond Falooda {Indian Dessert Drink} by Sue’s  Nutrition Buzz

Drinks
- Wine Pairings by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
- Cinnamon Infused Hot Chocolate with Southern Comfort WhippedCream by Mama Mommy Mom 

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on December 23rd, and chime into the chat at 7pm EST to talk about our Holiday Traditions. All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

Mom's Paella
Serves 6 (generously!)
1 2/3 cups chicken stock
½ cup white wine
1 tsp saffron threads
½ tbsp olive oil
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ large Spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup short grain rice (such as Arborio)
¼ tsp smoked or sweet paprika
1 oz Spanish chorizo
½ cup peas
1 diced red bell pepper
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 raw tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 small clams (like littleneck), scrubbed
18 mussels, scrubbed
Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Bring the stock and wine to a boil and add the saffron. Let steep 10 minutes. Keep warm.
  3. Warm ½ tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Season the chicken thighs and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil to the Dutch oven.
  5. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is completely soft.
  6. Stir in the rice and cook until toasted and light brown. Stir in paprika.
  7. Pour in the hot stock mixture, chorizo, peas, and red pepper. Stir well.
  8. Fold in the chicken, trying to keep it near the top of the pot.
  9. Cover and bake 15 minutes.
  10. Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the mixture and nestle the shrimp, clams and mussels into the top of the rice.
  11. Re-cover and cook a further 10-12 minutes, until shrimp is done and mussels open.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 373.3
Total Fat: 15.6 g
Cholesterol: 105.0 mg
Sodium: 625.1 mg
Total Carbs: 13.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 25.8 g

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