To be honest, I have my dearest friend Joyce to thank for inspiring this dish. One summer, in the 1990s, Joyce came to stay with us for five weeks while she taught a course at Northeastern University. Joyce and I met in college, where we bonded instantly over green grapes, Fresca, tuna sandwiches and novelty ice cream (Good Humor bars and things like that) purchased from a truck that parked on campus every day. Her only serious flaw as a friend for the past 35+ years has been her inability to eat spicy food.
Faced with the prospect of five weeks without our favorite jambalaya, which I make fiery hot for Ted and me, I created Pie-Ella. It's a spin on paella and jambalaya and risotto Milanese, and it is, I believe, the very best thing since sliced bread.
The recipe was a favorite on the Ninecooks web site for a year, and both the #1 Cooking Group and the Wednesday Lunch Group (photo above) have made it. I hope you'll make it, too. A gorgeous and delicious party dish, this recipe serves 4-6.
PIE-ELLA A LA LYDIA
- 1 large pinch saffron threads
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 hot smoked sausages (we use Beef Hot Links from the supermarket, because we always have them in the freezer, but you can substitute any spicy smoked beef, pork or chicken sausage)
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into large chunks
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, cut in large (1-inch) chunks
- 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock (low sodium or homemade)
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 12–18 pitted black jumbo olives
- 15–18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Freshly ground black pepper
Soak the saffron in 1 cup hot tap water for 15 minutes. In a large sauté pan that’s at least 3 inches deep, or in your 4- or 6-quart stock pot (every kitchen has one), heat the olive oil. Add sausage, and brown all over. Remove from pan. Add chicken, brown all over, and remove from pan. The pan will be black and gunky, but don’t worry – this will all dissolve into the finished dish. Add onion, green and red peppers, and sauté quickly until the onion is just translucent, about 2 minutes.
Return the sausage to the pan, add the saffron water with saffron, wine and 1-1/2 cups of the stock. When the liquid boils, turn down to low. Add the rice, stir once, and cook for 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, along with the olives.
Now, don’t stir for a while. Go away, drink some wine, make a salad.
Simmer the pie-ella uncovered until the rice is nearly cooked, 10 minutes or more. There should still be liquid in the rice, but not much. Place the shrimp in the pan, making sure to stuff them down into the rice. Season with lots of black pepper. From this point, you may have to stir gently every now and then to keep the rice from sticking, and if it is cooking too fast, add the remaining chicken stock. Continue cooking until the shrimp are done, 5 minutes or so, and the rice is cooked. Serve hot.
I've eaten this pie-ella many times and have cooked it a few times. It's fantastic - tasty, colorful and fragrant.
Posted by: rupert | February 08, 2006 at 03:33 PM