0 Picture
Ingredients
- For the vegetables:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- For the meat:
- 6 ounces dried chorizo sausages or other firm spicy sausage such as pepperoni, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- For Pasta:
- 1/2 pound orzo (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Details
Preparation
Step 1
FOR THE VEGETABLES: In a large frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
FOR THE MEAT: Increase the heat to moderately high. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, paprika, chicken, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is almost done, about 3 minutes. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Steam the chicken for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large glass or stainless steel bowl to cool.
FOR THE PASTA: Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo until done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
TO SERVE: Add the drained orzo to the chicken mixture. Toss with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, the tomato and the parsley.
Tip: WINE RECOMMENDATION: Paella's Iberian roots lead us to Spain for a red Ribera del Duero. Ribera del Duero's wild cherry, herb and spice flavors will be superb with this salad.
Add to my earlier review: we also added some saffron and used long grain basmati as it holds up well in salad. The saffron w/smoked paprika (reg. paprika is ok too)just sings Paella, giving it a signature golden hue and haunting flavor (NOte: Trader Joe's has saffron for good price). Alternative,you can do this w/a nice pinch of tumeric (which IS done in Spain now as saffron is a luxury there) but you won't get that flavor. Also,sliced green beans are a good veggie add (romano are my fav.)
Review this recipe