We made paella with chorizo and chicken thighs. We started with a sofrito (once we figured out what a sofrito is), and we used the saffron threads from Melanie’s travels (thanks, Mel!). We even achieved socarrat (the crunchy, not-quite-burned crust on the bottom)! The trick was to leave it alone, resisting the temptation to stir too much, and then turn the heat up for the last few minutes. For veggies, we used the sofrito (onion, tomato, garlic, with a little smoked paprika) plus peas and red bell pepper.
Recipe modified from New York Times Cooking:
For a side, we made roasted carrots with fried sage. It’s amazing what happens to sage when you lightly sauté it in butter and olive oil. It becomes crispy and delicious, like mini sage chips.
From Debbie Koenig at http://debbiekoenig.com/2009/10/30/pan-roasted-carrots-with-crispy-sage/
Pan-Roasted
Carrots with Crispy Sage
Serves 2, but doubles easily
1
tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
10 small or 5 large fresh sage leaves, slivered
4 large or 6 small carrots, cut on the diagonal into ½” slices
salt & pepper
In a large nonstick frying pan, heat oil and butter over a medium-high flame. When foaming subsides, sprinkle in slivered sage leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the color changes—shouldn’t take much more than a minute—then remove and drain on paper towel.
Add carrots to pan and lower heat to medium. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir to coat carrots with the sage-scented fat, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned around the edges. Add fried sage back to the pan, toss, and serve.
