Mexican Christmas Traditions

Ingredients

• 5 ounces baby brussel sprouts, cleaned and halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for tossing and roasting the brussel sprouts)
• ½ teaspoon McCormick’s paprika
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 threads of saffron plus 1 ½ tablespoons hot water
• 7 oz chicken thigh, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for browning the chicken)
• 4 oz sliced Palacios Spanish chorizo
• 1 teaspoon garlic (crushed in a garlic press or diced)
• 1 ½ teaspoon McCormick’s paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste plus 6 tablespoons water (to make a tomato paste)
• 1 ¼ cups Spanish rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 sprig of rosemary

Instructions

1. Clean and halve 5 ounces of baby brussel sprouts.
2. In a bowl, add brussel sprouts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon McCormick’s paprika and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss until coated.
3. In a shallow casserole dish, spread brussel sprouts out and cook under your broiler for about 5 minutes or until the brussel sprouts start to brown and crisp. Remove from the broiler and set aside.
4. While the brussel sprouts are under the broiler, steep your saffron in a small dish with 1 ½ tablespoons of hot water. Set aside.
5. In your paella pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sear the chicken until it browns a bit.
6. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute.
7. Sprinkle the paprika over the chicken. Pour the tomato puree around the edge of the pan all the way around. Let it cook for a minute or two.
8. Add the rice and chicken stock; stir gently until the rice is completely moist. Add the saffron and the little bit of water that you steeped it in. Stir gently.
9. Add roasted brussel sprouts to the pan, tucking them into the rice and chicken stock. The brussel sprouts should be mostly covered. Allow it to cook for a few minutes until you see the rice rise, then tuck the sprig of rosemary into the rice.
10. Turn the heat to medium low. After about 10 minutes, tuck the pieces of sliced chorizo into the rice.
11. Continue cooking until the rice is soft and you can hear the socarrat forming along the bottom of the pan. You’ll know the socarrat is forming when you hear a little crackling noise. (Socarrat is the yummy, crunchy sort of caramelized rice that sticks to the bottom and is the prize of the paella party.) Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t able to achieve socarrat perfection on your first try; it takes some practice to get it right.
12. Remove from the heat at let the pan rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes