Spring Paella

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ pound turkey chorizo
  • ‍1 cup short-grain rice
  • ¾ cup canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup peas
  • ¼ pound asparagus
  • Parsley, for serving
  • Lemon, for serving

Directions

  1. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a small both then remove from heat and add the saffron. Let sit until ready to use.
  2. Heat a 10” to 12” cast iron skillet then add the olive oil followed by the minced onion. Cook until the onion is fragrant and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute more.
  3. Once the garlic is fragrant, stir in the turkey chorizo. Continue to cook until the chorizo is cooked through then add in the rice, saffron-infused broth, tomatoes, smoked paprika, and sea salt. Stir to combine everything, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook until for 15 minutes.
  4. While the rice starts to cook, prepare the asparagus. Trim the ends then cut the asparagus in half horizontally and vertically, creating four pieces of asparagus per stalk.
  5. Once the liquid has started to be absorbed, layer the top of the paella with the asparagus and peas. Lightly press into the rice if necessary.
  6. Continue to cook the paella for another 10 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed, the rice is done, and the asparagus is cooked through. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes

For a more traditional paella, you can add mussels and shrimp to the dish as well.