Paella a lo Monterey ==================== *Serves 6 to 12* *for a 16 to 18 inch paella pan* 7 c chicken or turkey stock Chimichurri sauce (see below) Pinch of saffron threads (about 0.25g), toasted 1 c dry white wine, unchilled ¼ lb pancetta (or bacon), diced ¼ c extra virgin olive oil 2 chorizos (or spicy sausage), sliced diagonally 2½ lb chicken thighs and legs, marinated in crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, coriander, and oil 1 - 2 lb raw medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, and marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper 1 head garlic plus and 6 whole garlic cloves 3 bell peppers (red & yellow), cored, seeded, and cut in 1-inch wide strips 1 - 2 doz baby artichokes 1 - 2 doz asparagus spears 2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 3 - 4 c (about 500g) bomba or superfine arborio rice scallops, calamari (squid), mussels, clams as available or desired 4 lemons, cut in wedges for garnish CHIMICHURRI SAUCE garlic parsley Preparation: crush garlic together with parsley. Mortar and pestle work best. ADVANCE PREPARATION * Prepare turkey or chicken broth. If you bought whole shrimp, throw in the heads and strain before using. Taste; the stock should be well-seasoned, so add salt if necessary. Remove from heat until ready to add to the rice. * Pre-cook marinated chicken (can use microwave - will be browned later). * Prepare and pre-cook asparagus and artichokes.*  Save some nice artichoke leaves. * Prepare chimichurri sauce. * Heat the white wine and add the saffron threads. Combine with chimichurri sauce and set aside. PRE-SOFRITO * In perfectly level paella pan over medium-high heat, sauté pancetta in a little olive oil until fat is rendered and bits are nearly brown. Add more oil if needed and add chorizo and cook. Remove and reserve. * Sauté the chicken pieces until golden and cooked through, 10 to 15 min. Remove and reserve. * Sauté the shrimp until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and reserve. * Reduce the heat to medium low and sauté the red pepper, head of garlic, and garlic cloves until the peppers are quite soft but not brown, 15 to 20 min. * Meanwhile, prepare the artichokes. Remove outer leaves until yellow inner leaves are exposed.  Cut off top third and bottom stem. Slice in half lengthwise. * Transfer the peppers and garlic cloves to a plate (the intact head always stays in the pan), cover with aluminum foil, and set aside to cool. * Sauté the artichokes in the paella pan until they're tender, about 15 min. Transfer to a plate. Sauté the asparagus in the pan until they begin to soften, 5 to 10 min. * Meanwhile, finish preparing the red peppers. Peel them (discarding the skin), and set the garlic cloves apart from the peeled peppers. When the asparagus are done, remove the pan from the heat and transfer asparagus to a plate. SOFRITO * If there is more than 1 T of olive oil in the pan, pour out the excess. Increase the heat to medium and sauté the onion until soft, about 5 min. Add the tomato and the reserved garlic to the pan. Season well with salt, and sauté until the water from the tomato has cooked out and the mixture has darkened to a burgundy color and is a very thick purée, 10 to 15 min. * If not cooking the rice immediately, remove the paella pan from the heat. You may make the paella several hours ahead up to this point. RICE * About a half hour before you're ready to eat, bring the stock back to a simmer and heat the pan to medium high. Add saffron-flavored wine-soaked chimichurri and stir to combine. * When the sofrito is hot, add just enough rice to the pan to completely cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of about a quarter inch, or a few grains thick. Then sauté the rice until translucent and pearl-like, 1 to 2 min. * Stir or shake the pan to evenly distribute the rice, push the head of garlic to the center, and pour in enough of the simmering stock to cover. (You should have more than a cup of broth left over to add later when needed.) * As the stock comes to a boil, lay the peppers and asparagus spears green beans in the pan, star-fashion. Add the artichokes, chorizo, and chicken pieces. * Add shrimp and seafood. Cook on medium high. Do not stir the rice once the liquid is boiling. * When the rice begins to appear above the liquid, after 8 to 10 min., reduce the heat to medium low. * Continue to simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 min. more. Taste a grain just below the top layer of rice; it should be al dente, with a tiny white dot in the center when bitten through. (If the rice is not done but all the liquid has been absorbed, add a bit more hot stock or water to the pan and cook a few minutes more.) * Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and cook gently for another 2 min. to ensure that the top layer of rice is evenly cooked. With the foil still in place, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about 2 min., until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, creating the socarrat. The rice may crackle somewhat, but if it starts burning, remove the pan from the heat immediately. * Reduce heat until ready to serve. SERVING * Let the paella rest off the heat, still covered, for 5 min. * Arrange the reserved artichoke leaves to garnish the pan in a pavilion fashion. Remove the garlic cloves and head of garlic to make an aioli sauce for the seafood. You can also garnish with the lemon wedges or serve them separately. * Bring the pan to the table and allow guests to serve themselves from the pan, communual fashion.