Mike Gonzales, Spokane's ABC KXLY 4 Evening News anchor cooks! He is also the host of “En La Cocina” the Latin cooking/cultural show that airs across the Northwestern United States and around the nation on Dish Network.
We recently partnered with Mike to bring our readers access to his amazing recipes. Oh, wow... this looks amazing. Thanks Mike!!
Seafood Paella, a fragrant mixture of seafood, meat and rice originated along the Mediterranean coast of Valencia, Spain. Essentially a shepherd's or fisherman's pot luck meal, the carefully tended paella set over an outdoor fire beckoned workers to a delicious meal graced with local ingredients seasonally available in the countryside.
1 pinch or ½ tsp. saffron threads
¼ cup olive oil
½ lb. or more chorizo sausage links, cut into rounds
1 chicken cut into 2" pieces with skin intact, leave legs whole
1 med. white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups rich chicken broth
1 Tablespoon bittersweet Spanish paprika
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried thyme
3 cups short grained Spanish rice*
1 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb. mussels, scrubbed clean
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup fresh or frozen peas
1 lemon, sliced into eighths for garnish
chopped chives or scallion for garnish
Add saffron to a half cup of warm water and allow to " bloom". Bring chicken stock to a simmer.
Heat olive oil in the paella pan or a wide bottom skillet over med. high heat. Dry the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken well in the hot oil and remove to a platter. Brown the chorizo in the same manner and remove from pan. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until wilted, add the garlic and continue to cook and stir until soft. Take care not to burn the garlic as it will taste bitter. Add the wine and simmer until most is reduced.
Stir in the simmering chicken stock, ½ cup of saffron water, paprika, parsley, rosemary, thyme and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the rice, (traditionally in the shape of a cross) fresh rosemary sprig, and peas.
Reduce heat to low, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes without stirring.
Bury the chicken and sausage into the partially cooked rice and continue to cook uncovered for another ten minutes, next add the shrimp and mussels in the rice and continue to cook over low heat until the shrimp are pink and the rice is tender and the broth absorbed.
If extra liquid is needed to finish the cooking process, only add boiling water or broth as needed. When the cooking process is complete, remove pan from heat, cover, and let rest for a few minutes.
Serve paella right from the pan. Garnish with lemon slices placed in a ring around the pan and sprinkle with chopped chives or scallions.
Serves 8 - 10
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Previously, Mike worked as the weekend anchor and reporter at KOLN/KGIN Lincoln, Nebraska, where he won an AP award for his sports series on the Lincoln Saltdogs minor league baseball team.
Mike is a graduate of North Carolina State University and also attended the Missouri School of Journalism as a graduate student. He was a standout pitcher for the Wolfpack baseball team, and later played for the minor league Allentown Ambassadors. Mike was given The 2010 Asuris Insurance Latino Hero Award for his work in the Hispanic Community in Eastern Washington.
We try his recipes on our pottery.
Posted by: June swatzell | October 03, 2011 at 09:09 AM
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Posted by: Luxury Recipe | February 27, 2012 at 08:44 AM