Christmas Eve Paella (Also: New Year's Eve Paella)

Paella is one of our family's favorite dishes, and even though I've heard it's "easy," there are many ingredients and the assembly is tricky. Ron's dad had a great recipe that goes back three decades (which uses the oven), and I found a fantastic version by Janet Mandel, a Spanish cooking authority (which uses the stove top).  I put the two of them together, and also added my own touches.  I decided to use a large earthenware casserole dish and the oven method.  (Note: Assembly time: about an hour; cooking time, approximately another hour. Give yourself ample time, don't rush and enjoy the experience!)

Ingredients:
4 small chicken thighs, bone-in
4 small chicken breasts (or two breasts cut in half), bone-in
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
10 strands of saffron, steeped in boiling water
2 cups long grain white rice
8 cups chicken broth
1 green pepper, cut in 1/2" x 1/4" strips
1 ripe plum tomato, chopped
1 lb. Spanish chorizo (sausage)
18 raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
18 mussels
18 littleneck clams
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 box frozen peas
4 oz. roasted red peppers

Note: Prepare your mis en table in advance; chop all tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, clean all seafood, etc. so the cooking and assembly process goes smoothly.

Preparation

Cook the chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of all pieces of chicken in oven-proof frying pan. Sauté in olive oil on both sides until deep golden brown.  Pop into oven for 20 minutes.

Cook the chorizo: Fry chorizo in non-stick pan. When cooked through, cut into small pieces. Drain pan of excess fat. Return chorizo to pan. Add onion, garlic, chopped tomato and green pepper, adding olive oil if necessary. When onion and garlic are translucent, remove from heat and set aside.

Steep the saffron: Bring one cup water to a boil. Remove from heat, add saffron. Set aside.

Assembly
When chicken is cooked, arrange around edges of large open casserole or paella pan.  Sprinkle with rice and add chicken stock, chopped tomato, chorizo/onion/pepper mixture, saffron with water, stir and cover tightly. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring half way through.

Remove from oven, uncover, stir. Add peas, roasted red peppers and shrimp. Cover, put back in oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, add mussels and clams. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, or until clams, shrimp and mussels are cooked. Shrimp should be firm and pink. Discard any mussels or clams that are not open.

Serve with salad and crisp white wine, such as Pinot Grigio (or Sangria, for you purists).

Paella also makes a fantastic party dish, as perfect for a crowd on New Year's Eve as on Christmas Eve.

Basic Roast Chicken on a Wintry Night

There's nothing quite like the aroma of a chicken roasting in the oven! 

Here's our can't fail method for a savory chicken.  Best of all, your oven does all the work!

Preheat oven to 375F.

1. Cut a 4 lb chicken into 8 pieces.

2. Put into roasting pan, and sprinkle liberally with herbes de Provence, 

3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over all.

4. Add a tad French salt (we use fleur de sel) and freshly ground pepper melange, some crushed fresh garlic cloves and a few tablespoons butter cut into small bits. 

5. Roast at 375F for 90 mins, basting half way through. 

Serve with your favorite smashed potatoes and haricots vert.

A made for all seasons dinner, not just for a wintry night. Use any leftovers for your chicken pot pie!

Time to get ready for Thanksgiving!

It's never too early to start planning your Thanksgiving meal.  As always, the turkey -- roasted to a golden brown and stuffed with savory bread and sausage stuffing -- will be the centerpiece of your dinner table.

Next, the all-time, most-requested favorite on our table is our Southern sweet potato and pecan casserole. Both crunchy and smooth, sweet and savory, this casserole can be prepped two days in advance and cooked up in 45 minutes on Thanksgiving Day. Recipes below.

Here's a suggested table setting, with mini pumpkins and Granny Smith apples for color:

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day, filled with good things, loving family and faithful friends.

Grandma's Turkey Stuffing
(For 18 lb. bird)

Ingredients
1 package seasoned bread crumbs for turkey stuffing (Arnold)
1 stick butter
1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. good quality Italian sausage, out of casing
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmegianno Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 eggs, slightly beaten with fork
Onion and garlic salt -- approx 1/8 tsp each
1 cup white raisins (optional)

1. Sauté sausage until cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain fat from pan. Set aside.
2. In large deep sauté pan, melt butter and broth. When butter is completely melted, add breadcrumbs, stir to combine until all liquid has been absorbed.
3. Pour breadcrumb mixture into a large deep mixing bowl.
4. Add seasonings, cheese, eggs and spices, mix well to combine.
5. Add sausage. Combine.

Stuff bird, reserving any extra stuffing for casserole to bake separately @ 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Southern Sweet Potato & Pecan Casserole
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.


Ingredients
For casserole:
6 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, beaten with fork
For topping:
2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped pecans

Roast sweet potatoes for 40-60 minutes, or until soft. Cool, remove skin, and mash in a large bowl. Combine sweets with next five ingredients. Mix well. Spoon into a lightly-greased 13" x 9" casserole (or oval casserole of similar size).

Reduce oven temperature to 375F degrees.

Combine remaining ingredients, and sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake @ 375F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 12+ servings.

Apple Pie -- Perfect for Apple Season!

An American classic, filled with juicy apples, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg!  When you're pressed for time, use store-bought pie crusts from your grocer's refrigerated section.

This pie is a big winner for not a lot of effort.  It travels well, doesn't need refrigeration on first day, is delicious alone, works in every season and gets lots of oohs and aahs when you bring it to the table.  Perhaps best of all, it takes only 1-1/2 hours start to finish (one hour in the oven), and will keep for up to two days in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Ingredients

Pastry crust: Use your own favorite pate brisée or one box of refrigerated crusts
1 large organic Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 2" rough pieces
5 large organic Gala or other upscale apple,  peeled, cored and cut in 2" rough pieces
3/4 cup sugar plus 2 tsp. for topping
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon plus 1/8 tsp. for topping
1-2 tbsp. butter

In large bowl, mix ingredients well with a wooden spoon.  Let sit for a few minutes while you spread the bottom crust in the pie tin.

Fill pie tin with apple mixture.  Brush the outer edges lightly with water using a pastry brush. Dot the top of the mixture with 1-2 tbsp. butter and top with the second crust. Fold top crust over bottom crust and crimp edges to seal.

Cut vents in top to prevent bursting in oven.  I always draw a little design on the top with a sharp knife -- initials if it is a birthday pie, an apple, a fir tree for Christmas or a pumpkin for Halloween. You can be creative!

Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top and bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees on center rack of oven. This will give maximum crisp to the crust.  After 30 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and move pie to upper third of oven.  Bake 30 minutes longer. Allow to cool two hours before cutting.  Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or all by itself!

Variations:

Add to apple mixture: 1/3 cup raisins, 1/3 cup walnuts and/or 1/3 cup dried cranberries. If adding all three, reduce to 1/4 cup each.