CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD PAELLA WITH ARGENTINIAN CHORIZO

Steps:

• In a large stock pot over high heat add half the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and ham hocks and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving the ham hocks in the pot. Store the browned chicken in the fridge until you're ready to use the meat. Add half of the onions and the celery, carrots, and garlic to the pot, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the mix with white wine and reduce the liquid by half. Next add the seafood stock, saffron, and 2 quarts of water and let simmer for two hours or until reduced by half. When the stock is reduced, straining the liquid through a chinois, pressing the liquid out of the vegetables with a spatula. Return the liquid to the pot, and simmer on low heat. Remove the chicken thighs from the fridge and place them in the stock for 8 - 10 minutes to cook through Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or paella pan add the remaining olive oil, chorizo, red bell pepper, and onion, and cook until the onions are translucent, but not brown. Add rice, paprika, oregano, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simmer until all rice grains are coated with oil. Smooth the rice with the back of a soup ladle so it is level around the pan and, using the ladle, scoop about 1 cup of broth at a time into the rice. Do not stir. Bury the seafood in the rice so they cook through. Add a final cup of broth and cover the pan tightly. Let sit off heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until seafood is cooked. Garnish with scallions, lemon wedges, and a drizzle of olive oil. When storing for leftovers, keep the mussels but remove the shells.