Recipe
Sorghum Paella with Clams and Shrimp
https://www.sorghumcheckoff.com/recipes/sorghum-paella-with-clams-and-shrimp/
Paella is the national dish of Spain. A dish with a long history, Paella has been shaped by cultural collaboration and trade. Paella is named after the large pan that it is traditionally cooked in and was historically made by farmers working rice fields and adding any ingredient that was on hand from vegetables to rabbits, snails, and of course rice.
Through history paella has changed and become the most iconic dish in Spain, now being filled with plenty of variations on vegetables, meats and spices, including saffron which gives it it’s signature yellow color.
This take on paella celebrates and stays in keeping with it’s traditional flavors, but reimagines paella’s past with the introduction of sorghum which would’ve also been introduced to Spain via their Moroccan border to the South and trade throughout Northern Africa. This recipe uses clams and shrimp, but have fun and customize your paella however you like by adding cooked chicken, sausage, and any vegetables you love.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled sorghum
- 4 cups chicken stock, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, small diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, medium diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper, medium diced
- ½ cup tomato, diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon saffron, soaked in 2 tablespoons of warm water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup peas
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 20 clams, cleaned
- Parsley, chopped, as garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the sorghum in a strainer, agitating with your hand to wash off excess starches.
- Place the sorghum and chicken stock into a large sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 40 minutes or until sorghum is tender. Remove from heat and drain the sorghum, reserving any excess cooking liquid.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. Once pre-heated, add the onion and garlic, cooking for about 3 minutes stirring constantly until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the red and green bell peppers sautéing for an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, saffron, and saffron soaking water, cooking for 4 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the cooked sorghum and remaining cooking liquid to the skillet, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add lemon juice, peas, and clams on top of the mix, making sure to not stir it in. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, add the shrimp to the top of the paella and allow to steam for another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked and the clams are opened.
- Once all the seafood is cooked and the liquid is all absorbed, remove from heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon.
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