Gazpacho

This recipe originates with my mother-in-law, Carmen Perujo, and is a classic example of this Sevillano
dish. Tomatoes with very thin skins tend to separate from the pulp during processing. If this happens,
you'll probably want to process the gazpacho until it's perfectly smooth and then strain it through a fine
sieve to remove the fibrous skins. Tomatoes with thicker skins can survive the food processor a little
better and don't need straining; they can be left more coarsely pureed.

Serves four. Yields four cups.

 2 cloves garlic, sliced

 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
 1 1/2 lb. very red, ripe tomatoes, cut into large pieces
 3-inch-long piece of baguette, sliced and dried overnight or until hard
 1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
 2 Tbs. sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar; more to taste
 2 tsp. kosher or coarse salt; more to taste
 1 cup peeled, diced cucumber
 1 cup diced onion, for garnish (optional)

Put the garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, vinegar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until
the ingredients begin to puree; continue processing until the mixture is as fine a puree as you want.

If you're straining the soup, pass it through a large fine sieve set over a large bowl, pressing until only
solids remain in the sieve; discard the solids. If you're not straining, pour the soup directly into a bowl.

Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, or enough to give the soup the consistency of a thin milkshake. If you want a
thicker soup, add less water, or none at all. Add more salt or vinegar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until
well chilled, at least 1 hour.

Ladle the gazpacho into chilled bowls or cups. Pass bowls of diced cucumber and onion, if using, so
people can garnish their own.
Paella
This recipe serves four and works well in a 16 inch pan. To make a paella with more servings in a larger
pan, scale up the ingredients proportionately by using our recipe sizing guide.

The recipe may look long, but that's only because it explains all the little tricks that will give you success.
It involves 1 hour of preparation plus 20 to 30 minutes cooking time. If you don't feel like prepping fresh
artichokes, you can substitute with frozen artichoke hearts. Just add them to the paella pan along with the
rice.

Serves Four

 4 1/2 cups chicken broth; more if necessary

 Pinch saffron threads (about 20 threads)
 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 4 chicken thighs, chopped in half across the bone with a meat cleaver
 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in 1-inch wide strips
 1 small whole head garlic; plus 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
 2 artichokes, trimmed down to the hearts and quartered (optional)
 Small handful green beans, trimmed
 1/2 onion, grated on the largest holes of a box grater
 1 tomato, halved horizontally and grated on the largest holes of a box grater to get a coarse
purée (discard the skin)
 1/2 teaspoon pimenton
 1 1/2 cups medium grain rice
 1/4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained (optional)
 2 lemons, cut in wedges

Heat the saffron broth:

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; lower to a simmer Toast the saffron gently in a dry skillet
or toaster oven (just until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes; don't let them burn). Crumble the threads in a mortar
or between your fingers, and add to the broth. Taste and add salt if necessary (it should be very well-
seasoned, salted as if it were a soup). Remove from the heat until you're ready to add to the rice.
Saute the chicken
and vegetables:
Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. Pour the olive in a 16-inch paella pan. Over
medium high heat, sauté the chicken until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Reduce the heat to medium low. In the paella pan, cook the red pepper and head of garlic until the
peppers are completely limp but not brown, 15 to 20 min. Transfer the peppers to a plate (leave the garlic
in the pan) and cover with aluminum foil. Add the artichoke hearts (if using) to the pan, and after 5 min.,
add the green beans. Sauté until the artichokes are tender and the green beans are soft and wrinkled,
about 10 min.

Meanwhile, peel the skin off the red peppers. Transfer the green beans and artichokes to a plate.

Make the sofrito:

Increase the heat to medium and sauté the onion until softened, about 5 min. Add the tomato, pimenton,
and the six garlic cloves, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has darkened to a
deep burgundy and is thick like a compote, 15 to 20 min. If it starts to stick to the pan or burn, add a little
water to the pan. If not cooking the rice immediately, remove the paella pan from the heat. (This tomato-
onion-garlic mixture, called a sofrito, is the flavor base for the paella.) You may make the paella several
hours ahead up to this point.
Add the rice and
cook:
About a half hour before you're ready to eat, bring the broth back to a simmer and set the paella pan with
the sofrito over your largest burner (or over two burners) on medium high heat. Add the rice, stirring until
it's opaque, 1 to 2 min.

Spread the rice in the pan, put the head of garlic in the center, and pour in the hot broth. Shake the pan a
bit to make sure the rice is evenly distributed. Arrange the chicken, artichokes, red peppers, and green
beans in the pan. If using chickpeas, distribute them on top. Do not stir the rice from this point on. Simmer
vigorously, moving the pan over one and two burners to distribute the heat and to cook the rice as evenly
as possible. When the rice is at the same level as the liquid, after 8 to 10 min., reduce the heat to medium
low.

Continue to simmer more gently, rotating the pan as necessary, until the liquid has been absorbed, about
10 min. more. Taste a grain just below the top layer of rice; it should be al dente, with a tiny white dot in
the center. (If the rice is not done but all the liquid has been absorbed, add a bit more broth or water to
the pan and cook a few minutes more.)
 Create the socarrat:
Increase the heat to medium-high and, rotating the pan, cook for about 2 min., until the bottom layer of
rice starts to caramelize, creating the socarrat. The rice will crackle, but if it starts to smell burned, remove
the pan from the heat immediately.
Let the paella rest:
Remove the pan from the heat. Cover loosely with foil or a clean kitchen towel and let the paella rest for 5
min. to even the cooking and let the flavors meld.
Serve!
Set the paella pan in the center of a round or square table. Remove the foil and invite people to eat
directly from the pan, starting at the perimeter, working toward the center, and squeezing lemon over their
section, if they want.