Mar.

8

Yotam Ottolenghi

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI has been in the foodie firmament for a decade now and I enjoy eating at his namesake Notting Hill restaurant whenever I’m in London, but I never really got into his cookbooks until recently. Yotam’s flavor mash-ups and unique texture combinations are incredible. If you’re not a huge meat eater, you’ll love Yotam’s cooking for the way he elevates the simplest dishes. Of course this seafood paella takes a bit of prep, but its delicious and so worth the effort. A vegetarian version is available in Plenty which is my favorite of all Yotam’s cookbooks. Enjoy!

SEAFOOD PAELLA

1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
10 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
8 ounces pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch strips
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
½ cup dry Sherry
3 cups short-grain rice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 wide strips orange zest
½ teaspoon saffron threads
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
8 spring onions, trimmed
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
12 large head-on, shell-on prawns or shrimp
Freshly ground black pepper
3 lemons, quartered

Purée chile, parsley, and 6 Tbsp. oil in a food processor until smooth; season chile-parsley oil with salt and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a 13″ paella pan or a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook pancetta until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add yellow onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add garlic and both paprikas and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add Sherry, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add rice stirring until rice is coated and starting to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, orange zest, and saffron; season with salt. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 12–15 minutes.

Pluck out zest. Nestle clams into rice in center of pan and cook until clams begin to open, 12–15 minutes. Cover pan with foil and simmer until rice is al dente and clams open (discard any that don’t), 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat (keep covered) and let rice steam 10 minutes.

While paella cooks, heat a grill pan over medium-high. Separately, toss spring onions, haricots verts, and prawns with 1 Tbsp. oil each in bowls; season with salt and pepper. Grill spring onions, turning occasionally, until greens are charred and bulbs are tender, about 5 minutes. Next, grill haricots verts, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 2 minutes, then grill prawns until cooked through and shells are charred, about 3 minutes per side. Finally, grill lemons until charred, about 1 minute per side.

Arrange spring onions, haricots verts, and prawns over paella. Drizzle dish with reserved chile-parsley oil and squeeze some juice from grilled lemons over. Place remaining wedges on top of paella and serve.

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