Potato Paella
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Idaho potatoes (diced small)
- 3/4 cup fresh english peas (blanched until tender)
- 1/2 cup chorizo (cooked; diced small)
- 1 tablespoon sliced blanched of garlic
- salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 8 slices of Idaho potato (blanched in salted saffron water)
- 8 baby artichoke halves (sauteed until golden)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Tomato Broth
- 2 cups fresh tomato juice
- 2 cups canned tomato juice
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup good quality white zinfandel
- 1/2 cup amantillado, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 bulbs garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- fresh thyme bouquet
- Shellfish
- Two 1 1/2 lb fresh Maine lobster
- 4 sweet water prawns (peeled, deveined with the head on)
- 8 mussels (debearded and washed)
- 8 little neck clams (washed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
- Blanch the 8 slices of potato in salted saffron water until tender. Keep the potatoes warm and save the saffron water. Saute the baby artichoke halves in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, season with salt and keep warm.
- Saute the 2 cups of diced Idaho potatoes in 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender and golden brown. Add the diced chorizo, garlic and peas, saute 2 more minutes, deglaze with 5 tablespoons of saffron water, season with salt and cayenne pepper. Keep warm.
Tomato Broth
- Sweat the halved garlic bulbs in the olive oil until golden brown; add the fennel, cumin, crushed red pepper and oregano. Deglaze with the white zinfandel, sherry and clam juice. Reduce by 1/4. Add the tomato juices and thyme, simmer for 15 minutes. Strain through a cheese cloth.
Shellfish
- Boil the 2 lobsters for 4 minutes, place immediately into an ice bath. Split the lobster down the middle reserving the tail meat and discarding the head sack and corral.
- Heat 1 large or 4 small paella pans over moderately high heat. Place the olive oil in the pan, saute the prawns, clams and mussels, deglaze with the tomato broth. Finish the tomato broth with 2 tablespoons of sherry, 2 tablespoons basil chiffonade, 1 tablespoon of slice blanched garlic. Season with salt and pinch of crushed red pepper.
Assembly:
- Place the diced Idaho potato mixture in the tail of the lobster. Arrange the saffron potatoes and baby artichokes in the head. Arrange the shellfish inside the paella pan, garnish the lobster with potato tarts and a fresh basil sprig.
