Tony Tantillo - Recipes - Main Course

Paella with Okra
Okra normally goes into gumbo, a famous American rice dish. So we thought, why not put it into paella, an equally famous Spanish rice dish, instead of green beans or peas? It works! Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 skinless chicken drumsticks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 ounces spicy turkey sausage such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
6 cups Chicken Stock or water
3/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads mixed with one 12-ounce bottle of clam juice
11/2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned, cored if fresh)
3 cups short-grain rice
24 small clams, well scrubbed
3/4 pound small whole okra, about 2 inches long
24 mussels, well scrubbed with beards removed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:
1. Put oil in a paella pan, casserole, or wok over medium heat.

2. Cook drumsticks until well browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Remove to a plate and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan and cook until onion and pepper begin to soften.

5. Preheat oven to 375°F.

6. Bring stock and clam juice with saffron to a boil in a saucepan.

7. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to wok.

8. Cook 10 minutes on top of the stove.

9. Add rice and clams to wok along with boiling stock.

10. Bring to gentle boil on top of the stove.

11. Add okra, mussels, and drumsticks.

12. Cover and put in the oven 10 minutes.

13. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more.

14. Remove from heat, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Do not stir. Adjust seasonings if needed.

15. Sprinkle with parsley.

Cooking Tip
Paella normally calls for short-grain rice, which isn't always easy to get; try the Hispanic section of your supermarket. I've substituted long-grain rice successfully and have even seen paella recipes that use basmati rice.

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