Weeknight Paella

If you have enough time, you can order the dry-cured Spanish chrorizo online. But if you need to pick everything up at your supermarket today, feel free to substitute fresh chorizo or linguica sausage for the dry chorizo. There is no need to adjust anything in the recipe for this substitution.

Conventional wisdom cautions against the use of powdered saffron. Some sources say that inferior threads are used to produce the powder and that coloring agents may be added. While this may be true, we found powdered saffron purchased from a reputable source to be just as flavorful and fragrant as even the highest-quality threads. What's more, powdered saffron offers a few advantages over threads. First, a smaller amount can be used (about one-third to one-half the volume measurement of threads); second, the powder is easier to measure and does not need to be crumbled before use; finally, it releases its flavor much more rapidly (a boon for quick recipes such as the Saffron Aïoli but not so important for simmered dishes such as Paella and Bouillabaisse.

In conclusion, when shopping for saffron, look for dark red threads without any interspersion of yellow or orange threads. Or, to save money, choose a good-quality powdered saffron.

Actually, the shrimp is cooked in this dish. It is added at the end of the cooking process once the pressure is released and the rice and chicken mixture is very hot. You stir in the thawed, raw shrimp and peas, cover the pot to trap the steam, and allow them to cook in the hot rice for up to 7 minutes. Shrimp is delicate and this is sufficient to cook them through perfectly.