Home Made Simple Season 2: Paella on the Grill

I'll interrupt my usual format to bring you a commercial message.

As most of you know, I've been filming a TV show called Home Made Simple. It starts tomorrow, Sunday November 14th, at 1PM on TLC (in NY, that's channel 52).

In the new season, I am joined by designer, Nadia Geller and contractor, Patrick Brown to help homeowners beautify, simplify and organize their homes. We start in Washington, travel down to Charleston, hit Miami and finally Savannah.

We've worked with families whose personality, style and passion can only speak for themselves. I've been traveling this country and found myself dancing, singing, holding babies and painting walls. Oh, and in the meantime, I get to do a little cooking (from paella to roasted chicken to Frogmore stew and fried eggs), and share a few kitchen tips.

But you know me, and that I'm a bit of a sap. It's not so much what I'm teaching or what towns I'm seeing that turn me on; it's these loving, gentle, generous families that are such a hoot to spend time with. I'm still in contact with many of the families (and one special one even came to visit me in NY!), and I just keep pinching myself that I've had the opportunity to travel the country in this role.

Check out the show, and tell me what you think. Tomorrow we'll be making a Paella on the grill (and some Sangria, plus I doctor up a can of tomato soup and make delicious garlic croutons -- turn your nose up at Campbells, food snobs, but you'll be breaking out the cans mid-winter). And in terms of that paella, you can make it at your house on the stovetop; just be sure to stop by Sur La Table for a real paella pan (they start at around $30), or you can make it in a huge skillet.

As always, let me know how it goes!

Paella on the Grill
Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken legs
Salt and pepper
4 pieces chorizo (about 12 ounces), sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Spanish short-grain rice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
10 cups chicken broth, heated with a pinch of saffron threads
1/2 pound calamari, cleaned, rings sliced and tentacles
1 pound frozen peeled and deveined raw shrimp, defrosted
1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped parsley

1. Heat the oil in a paella pan or large skillet over a medium-high heat grill. Season chicken with salt and pepper; add chicken and chorizo into the skillet and brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and let rest on a plate.
2. Add onion and garlic to pan and heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice, paprika and chili flakes; cook until fragrant, rice is coated with oil, about 1 minute seconds.
3. Add wine and cook until the pan is almost dry, let it be absorbed by the rice, about 30 seconds. Add broth and use tongs to make sure all rice is submerged. Bring to a simmer over medium heat (turn the grill down or move to a cooler part of the grill), return chicken and chorizo to the pan, close grill top and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is about halfway cooked.
4. Tuck calamari, shrimp, and mussels into rice; sprinkle peas and tomatoes on top. Cover grill top again, and cook over medium-low heat until calamari is opaque, mussels have opened and shrimp have turned pink, about 10 minutes more. Taste, season with salt and pepper as needed. Scatter the top with chopped parsley and serve.