Paella Without the Pan

Here’s a summer entertaining menu that keeps things easy for the cook. The paella, served with grilled chicken and shellfish, is adapted to serve at room temperature. That means all the cooking is done in advance without compromising the dish.

Long-grain rice works best for the paella, rather than traditional short grain or Arborio rice, which in testing became unpleasantly thick and clumpy on standing.

I like to grill chicken legs and three varieties of shellfish for paella; they make for an inviting dish. But you can simplify this selection to your taste. You can also substitute a spicy sausage for the chicken and/or calamari in the seafood mix.

The rest of the meal? Melon with prosciutto or guacamole with chips work here with drinks. A salad of thinly sliced pickling cucumbers tossed in seasoned rice vinegar and chives is just the kind of refreshing, crunchy salad that paella requires. Crusty bread and butter. And a simple summer dessert, fresh peach melba. The raspberry sauce is actually the melba; here, it tops sliced peaches and vanilla ice cream.

Mandel is a cookbook author.

Paella

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded if desired, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/4 cups rice

2 teaspoons paprika (preferably Hungarian)

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

1/2 cup dry white wine (or dry vermouth)

8 green cracked olives, pitted, flesh slivered

1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed

1 cup young corn kernels, cut from cob

Lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oil in a large paella pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, green pepper, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until the onion is slightly softened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and paprika and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, clam juice, white wine, olives, saffron, salt, bay leaf and pepper to taste. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the rice is just tender, about 16 minutes. It’s OK if there’s extra liquid; the rice will absorb it as it stands. Remove from the heat. Stir in the peas and corn. (This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. To serve, let the rice come to room temperature or warm slightly in a microwave oven.) Taste; adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature (right in the paella pan, if using), garnished with lime wedges. Serve the grilled shellfish and chicken on a separate platter.

6 servings. Each serving: 183 calories; 491 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 3.39 grams fiber.

*

Grilled Shellfish and Chicken

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 1 hour, plus 4 hours marinating

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 teaspoons minced garlic

6 chicken legs (about 1 3/4 pounds)

18 small clams (about 3/4 pound)

2 pounds mussels

Coarse salt

Nonstick cooking spray

Freshly ground pepper

18 medium shrimp, shelled (about 1/2 pound)

Lime wedges and fresh herb sprigs, for garnish

Combine the oil, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, wine and garlic in a bowl.

Place the chicken legs in a plastic food bag; add 1/3 cup of the oil mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature before grilling.

Soak the clams and mussels in cold water to cover with 2 teaspoons salt for 30 minutes to purge any sand inside their shells. Rinse in cold water; keep chilled until cooking time.

Spray a barbecue grate (and grilling plate or basket if needed to keep small items from falling through grate) with cooking spray. Heat the grill to medium.

Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade), sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and grill until cooked as desired; the juices should run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork, about 35 to 40 minutes. Grill the shrimp, clams and mussels in separate batches as they have different (but quick) timing. Grill shrimp, turning once, until just opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes total; do not overcook. Grill the clams until most shells open, about 4 to 5 minutes (discard any that do not open); grill the mussels until the shells open, about 3 minutes (discard any that do not open). As each batch of shellfish is grilled, put in its own bowl. While still hot, toss with about 3 tablespoons of the oil mixture. (They can be grilled a couple of hours ahead and kept at room temperature.)

To serve, mound each in separate groups on large platter. Garnish the platter with lime wedges and herb sprigs.

6 servings. Each serving: 458 calories; 572 mg sodium; 222 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 57 grams protein; 0.73 gram fiber.

*

Fresh Peach Melba

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours standing

3 large, ripe but firm peaches, pitted, peeled if desired, sliced

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

12 small scoops vanilla ice cream

2 tablespoons framboise, optional

1 (12-ounce) package frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed, pureed, strained, chilled

Fresh raspberries, for garnish, optional

A few hours before serving, place the peach slices in a bowl; toss with the sugar and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature.

To serve, divide the peaches and juices among 6 shallow bowls.

Top with ice cream, 2 scoops each. Stir the framboise into the raspberry sauce, if using. Pour the raspberry sauce over the ice cream, dividing evenly. Garnish with raspberries, if using. Serve immediately.

6 servings. Each serving: 317 calories; 46 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 7 grams fiber.