With the summer weather continuing here (which is awesome!), I again decided to cook using the grill.  Tonight is an experiment – paella on the grill.  It is an experiment for 2 reasons. First time for me for using the grill to cook paella, obviously. But second, I am using a new seasoning – ‘Paellero’. I will comment on the flavor after trying the results!

Simple paella

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of pearl rice (or arborio if pearl is not available)
• 3 oz of chorizo, linguiça, or andouille sausage
• 5 -6 extra large prawns (16/20 per pound)
• 1 tsp garlic, minced (about 1 medium clove)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 pkg of Paellero seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Over medium heat in a low shallow pan (preferably with a rounded bottom!), heat the olive oil and brown the sliced sausage. Wgen browned on both sides, remove meat, leaving as much oil as possible. Add shallot to the pan and cook until translucent, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the rice to the pan and stir until the rice absorbs the oil and turns slightly translucent. Add the stock and stir, bringing to a light simmer. Sprinkle the seasoning and stir to combine. Add the sausage and peas, stirring gently to incorporate. Place the prawns in a circle around the in the pan.

Now we are at the crossroads… how to finish the dish.  I could use the stove top, the oven, or the grill.  For the previous two cooking possibilities, use medium heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. If needed, add more liquid in small (1/3 cup amounts). For this recipe, I opted for the grill. To add flavor, I left the smoker box from the smoked pulled pork on the grill to create a smoke chamber in the barbecue.  I lit the grill and left it on high to get the smoker box smoking well, then lowered the heat to medium, placed the pan uncovered on the grill and closed the lid. Checking every 15 minutes, add liquid as needed until the rice is cooked.

When done, serve and enjoy.