Make-Ahead Paella Casserole

Name: Make-Ahead Paella Casserole
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spanish, European
Ingredients: 5 Tbsps butter, softened; 710 milliliters chicken stock; 454 grams thick center-cut fillet sustainable cod or black cod; 118 milliliters dry sherry; 5 Tbsps EVOO; 4 servings All-purpose flour or instant flour, such as Wondra, for dredging; 118 milliliters roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 2 Tbsps chopped fresh thyme; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 4 servings Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 lemon; 1 onion, chopped; 118 milliliters broken thin spaghetti or orzo pasta; 237 milliliters frozen peas, thawed; 2 roasted red bell peppers, chopped; 1 pinch Generous saffron threads; 4 servings Seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay; 454 grams shrimp, peeled and deveined; 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat; 227 grams Spanish chorizo, chopped; 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika; 355 milliliters long-grain white rice

Make-Ahead Paella Casserole might be just the main course you are searching for. One serving contains 1388 calories, 95g of protein, and 64g of fat. This recipe serves 4. It can be enjoyed any time, but it is especially good for Autumn. Head to the store and pick up garlic, roasted bell peppers, chicken thighs, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the flour you could follow this main course with the Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce as a dessert. This recipe is typical of European cuisine.

Instructions

Watch how to make this recipe.

Cook's Note: To roast bell peppers, arrange them on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until the skins are blackened.

Ingredients you will need

Bell Pepper

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel and seed the peppers. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a casserole dish with 2 tablespoons butter.

Ingredients you will need

Peppers

Butter

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Casserole Dish

Bowl

Oven

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

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Butter

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add the pasta and toast until golden. Stir in the rice and saffron.

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Saffron

Pasta

Toast

Rice

Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until al dente, about 17 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Stock

Add an extra 1/2 cup water if the liquid evaporates before the rice is tender. Meanwhile, season some flour with the paprika in a shallow dish.

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Paprika

All Purpose Flour

Water

Rice

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour and shake off the excess.

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Salt And Pepper

Whole Chicken

All Purpose Flour

Shake

Heat 3 tablespoons EVOO in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Ingredients you will need

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Equipment you will use

Dutch Oven

Frying Pan

Add the chicken and cook until browned and crisp on both sides, 12 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to rest.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

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Paper Towels

Add 1 tablespoon EVOO to the skillet, then add the chorizo and cook until the fat begins to render, about 2 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Chorizo

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with a splash of sherry, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Stir in the peas, thyme and roasted peppers and immediately remove from the heat. Slice the chicken and combine with the rice mixture and chorizo-pepper mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

Chorizo

Peppers

Garlic

Onion

Pepper

Sherry

Thyme

Peas

Rice

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Wooden Spoon

Frying Pan

Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.

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Casserole Dish

Bake until heated through and the bottom is crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

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Oven

Add a splash of stock, about 1/2 cup, if the top of the casserole dries out too much. Meanwhile, cover the fish with about 1/2 cup kosher salt and let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Season some flour with seafood seasoning in a small dish. Lightly dredge the fish in the flour and shake off the excess.

Ingredients you will need

Seafood Seasoning

Kosher Salt

All Purpose Flour

Shake

Stock

Fish

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Ingredients you will need

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the fish and cook until firm and opaque, 5 to 6 minutes, turning once.

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Fish

Transfer the fish to a plate.

Ingredients you will need

Fish

Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until pink, 4 to 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Shrimp

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the lemon juice and 1/2 cup sherry, then swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter until melted.

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Lemon Juice

Butter

Sherry

Add the parsley. Flake the fish into pieces. Top the casserole with the fish, shrimp and sherry sauce. Divide among plates. Cook's Notes: Always buy seafood within 24 hours of serving. Quick-salting cod with salt is a technique of NYC chef George Mendez. It gives the fish a firmer texture and more pronounced flavor. The casserole can be covered and refrigerated before baking for a make-ahead meal.

Ingredients you will need

Parsley