3rd Annual Masters Champions Dinner...Spanish Style

It's springtime and you know what that means...The Masters!  This year Sergio Garcia hosted The Masters Dinner at Augusta...Spanish Themed!

I look forward every year to hear and see what the previous winner's traditional dinner is going to be.  I think I am more excited than a child at Christmas, breathlessly waiting for the announcement.

For our what is now becoming an annual event with our friends, we decided to have it at their house.  I planned the menu (well in actuality, I guess Sergio planned the menu), and I assigned everyone their course.  Bless their heart, they recorded the final day's game and played it during the entire evening while we dined, drank, laughed and enjoyed a wonderful evening.

We started our evening off sampling some wonderful Spanish wines that paired beautifully with the menu.

My husband talked me into taking the evening one step further....personalized menus at everyone's table setting.  I have to admit, they did turn out quite fun and everyone loved them.

One of our couple friends took on the challenge to make the empanadas from scratch!

I have never tasted anything so delicious!  I would have been perfectly happy to sit down and eat their entire platter of these beauties...and not apologize for it!

Bird's eye view of our Masters table setting.

Every last detail accounted for.

Paella with Seafood, Chicken, and Chorizo

Adapted from Tyler Florence

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken legs

1 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbl sweet paprika

salt

freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Spanish chorizo sausage

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Spanish onion, diced

1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed

1 cup Spanish rice, short to medium grain

1 tsp saffron threads

3 cups warm water

4 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off

2 lobster tails, split

1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed

Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Lemon wedges for serving

Rinse the chicken pieces and pat them dry.  Mix the oregano and paprika with some salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Rub the spice mixture all over the pieces of chicken; marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or wide shallow skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs.  Add the chorizo and continue to cook until the oil is a vibrant red color.  Remove the chicken and sausage to a platter lined with paper towels.

Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium.  Make a sofrito by sauteing the garlic, onion, and tomatoes; cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld; season with salt and pepper.  Fold in the rice, stirring to coat the grains  Stir the saffron into the rice.  Pour in the water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.  Do not cover or constantly stir like risotto.

Add the shrimp, lobster, the reserved chicken, and the chorizo.  Give the paela a couple of good stirs to tuck in all the pieces and just let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.  Scatter the peas on top and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the paella looks fluffy and moist.  Allow to rest, off the heat for 5 minutes and garnish with parsley.  Serve with lemon wedges.

One Year Ago: Creamy Rosemary Potatoes
Two Years Ago: Torta Rustica
Three Years Ago: Cambozola Platter
Four Years Ago: The Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich