Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Happy Monday! Hope everyone's weekends were fantastic. I did a lot of relaxing after my rather insane week: had a fun dinner at Pearl Oyster Bar, some cocktail-imbibing, lots of reading (my latest is A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan--highly recommended), some quality time with Suz Monster, and tons of cooking.

I had a crew of guys in my apartment working on my floors all day Saturday so I took the opportunity to whip up a quick and easy paella--one of my favorite things in the world to make. This one is a practically clean-up-free, one-pot meal and will feed a crowd in a hurry. It doesn't skimp on flavor, either--one of the guys told me that it was better than his mom's (she happens to be from Colombia). I'm a little skeptical about that, but I was pretty psyched, nonetheless.

In honor of my super fun visit to the Martha Stewart studios in Chelsea on Friday, where I filmed an episode of Emeril Lagasse's new show (launching in September), I chose a recipe from Martha Stewart Living for this. It's a good one--try it and let me know how it goes. xo

Chicken and Chorizo Paella
From Martha Stewart Living, June 2011
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces dried chorizo, sliced 1/8 inch thick on the bias
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium vine-ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup fresh shelled English peas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Warm stock, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Season chicken with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the pimenton. Heat oil in a 14-inch paella pan or a high-sided ovenproof skillet over high heat. Brown chicken for 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Pour out all but 1 teaspoon oil. Cook chorizo over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, then add broth mixture. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add peas, then chicken. Bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.