Chef Rafael
Palomino, owner of Sonora restaurant in Port
Chester, New York took our palates on a delectable gastronomic trip
with his demo on how to make Palomino Paella, a lovely mélange of
rice, lobster, clams, mussels, and chorizo, during Westchester Magazine's Wine & Food Festival. Chef Rafael Palomino generously provides his paella recipe to tempt
your palates into making his wonderful recipe and visiting Sonora restaurant.
Chef Rafael Palomino with ingredients
Hailing
from Bogotá, Colombia, Chef Rafael Palomino honed his culinary craft working in
New York with acclaimed chefs as Larry Forgione and Charlie Palmer, and in
France with. He is a culinary dynamo, who has written five cookbooks, and owns
several restaurants, including Sonora restaurant in Port Chester, New York.
Chef Rafael Palomino and Moderator
We had the
opportunity to attend Chef Rafael Palomino's demo during Westchester Magazine's
Wine & Food Festival held at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, New York on
Saturday, June 10, 2023. Chef demos at wine and food festivals are always a
highlight for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed learning how to make Palomino
Paella from Chef Rafael Palomino. He graciously provided his paella recipe
to demo attendees, and now to Luxury Experience readers.
Chef Rafael Palomino explaining the recipe
Chef Rafael
Palomino of Sonora restaurant, Port Chester, New York
Palomino
Paella
Ingredients
for the Hogo:
|
2
|
|
Plum Tomatoes, diced
|
|
0.50
|
Medium
|
Red Onion, diced
|
|
1
|
Small
|
Garlic Clove, minced
|
|
0.50
|
Tablespoon
|
Olive Oil
|
|
1
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Teaspoon
|
Parsley, chopped
|
Chef Rafael Palomino discussing the clams
Ingredients
for the Paella:
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1-2
|
Small
|
Live Lobsters, preferably female, about 1.25
pounds each
|
|
2
|
Tablespoons
|
Olive Oil
|
|
1
|
Tablespoon
|
Garlic, minced
|
|
3
|
|
Littleneck Clams. Scrubbed
|
|
2
|
Cups
|
Chicken Stock, Fish Stock, or Canned Low-Salt
Chicken Broth
|
|
1
|
Pinch
|
Saffron Threads
|
|
1
|
Pinch
|
Sazón Spice Blend, (optional)
|
|
0.5
|
Cup
|
Long-Grain Rice, rinsed
|
|
|
|
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
|
|
1
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Fresh
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Colombian or Mexican Chorizo, or Dried Spanish
Chorizo, sliced, 0.25-inch thick on the diagonal
|
|
3
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Large
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Shrimp, shelled and deveined
|
|
6
|
|
Mussels, scrubbed and debearded
|
|
0.50
|
Cup
|
Hogo (see recipe above)
|
Ingredients
for the Garnish:
|
1
|
Tablespoon
|
Fresh Scallions, coarsely chopped
|
|
|
|
Black Beans
|
|
1
|
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Lemon, cut into wedges
|
Method for
the Hogo: Before cooking
the paella, prepare the hogo. Combine all the ingredients in a small pan
and cook it to medium heat until veggies are soft, stirring constantly. Set
aside so that the flavors may mellow and marry.
Adding Olive Oil
Method for
the Paella: To begin the paella, select a large
skillet. Traditionally, a medium-size paella pan should be used for this
recipe. If one is not available, use a large skillet with curved sides. Heat
the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened
but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir until all the grains are
completely coated with the oil. Crush the saffron threads between your hands
over the pan and sprinkle over the rice. Add the Sazón and stir.
Add 3 cups
of the stock and salt (or the seasoned water) to the skillet. Bring to a boil,
immediately reduce to a simmer, and cover, stirring occasionally. After 5
minutes, add the tomatoes and stir. Simmer for 3 minutes more. The mixture
should still be quite soupy. As the liquid is absorbed, add more stock, one-half
cup at a time, until there is no more stock, and there is still liquid on the
bottom of the pan.
Place the clams in the skillet, gently push them down into the rice, and cover. After the clams have been cooked for 3 minutes, place the mussels in the skillet, gently pushing them down into the rice.
After this
point, do not stir the mixture, but move it gently with a wooden spoon every so
often to make sure it is not sticking to the pan. After the mussels have cooked
for 1 minute, add the chorizo, lobster, and shrimp. Cook the paella for about 5
more minutes, until lobster pieces are cooked through, and shrimp are opaque.
Sprinkle the mixture with black beans, chives, and reserved hogo, and
serve.
Plated Paella
Luxury
Experience Notes - Culinary Term: You can
purchase Sazón seasoning in grocery stores; it is a blend of spices
(coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper).
Until next
time, Bon Appetit!
For more
information on the next Westchester Magazine's Wine & Food Festival or
their upcoming events, please visit their website or social media: Westchester Magazine Wine and Food Festival , Facebook, Instagram
For more information
on Sonora restaurant, please visit the website: www.Sonorarestaurant.net
Read more
about our experiences at the Westchester Magazine's Wine & Food Festival
2023 in Luxury Experience's Gastronomy section and also in
Luxury Experience's Chefs' Recipes section.
Westchester
Magazine's Wine & Food Festival 2023
Kensico Dam
Plaza
Valhalla,
New York
United
States
Website: https://westchestermagazine.com/wine-and-food/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/WMWineandFood/
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/westchestermagevents/
#Wmwineandfood
Sonora
Restaurant
179 Rectory
Street
Port
Chester, New York 10573
United
States
Telephone:
+1-914-933-0200
Email:
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Website: www.SonoraRestaurant.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonoraportchester/
Instagram: #sonorarestaurant
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© June 2023. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights
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