Chef Michael Recipe: Quick Paella

Quick Paella

One 1 pound bag of saffron flavored rice (i.e., Vigo or Mahatma brands)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 raw chicken breasts, cubed
1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound raw Texas shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 links Spanish chorizo, sliced
Small box of frozen peas, thawed
1 can of kidney beans, drained
Small jar of sliced olives with pimentos, drained

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package [using olive oil instead of butter].
While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan (with a cover) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and red bell and sauté for two minutes; add the garlic and cook for another one minute. Next add the chicken, salt and pepper, and continue cooking for four minutes; stir in the shrimp and chorizo. Cook for two more minutes and then add the peas and beans; cover and turn heat to low.
As soon as the rice is ready, combine the two pots. Do not over-mix! Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with the olives.

Serves six

Recipe created by Chef Michael H. Flores •
©2009 Mis En Place, LLC
210.545.CHEF (2433) • www.cookwithmichael.com

Chef Michael has taken a childhood passion for cooking and turned it into an evolving lifelong profession in the culinary arts. Today he is a renowned chef, author, and television personality with an impressive food product line. Despite his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael focuses on providing simple solutions for encouraging families to get back to the table. More than a gourmet, he’s a creator and innovator, a man who is using his talent to give back to the community and to spread the philosophy of fine food and healthy living across the continent.
Since early childhood he has honed his cooking skills and tasting talents, taking both to new heights through formal training and endless experimentation. While attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Michael worked as chef-intern to Chef Susan Spicer of New Orleans’ acclaimed Bayona. Upon graduating with honors from the CIA, Michael returned to San Antonio to begin his career, infusing every dish he creates with his love of the multicultural richness that has so influenced his life.