Sandy's Paella

Paella

Our friend Sandy is a phenomenal cook, her Spanish roots see to that. She makes some  amazing paella as well as a Spanish Omelet that is to die for. On top of being a great cook, she loves wine, discussing food and well lets face it, shes just plain fun. I am so happy that I have gotten to know her better and I can’t wait for our next dinner date!  Because she is also amazingly gracious, she agreed to let me share a couple of her favorite recipes with you, my lucky readers. First up is her delicious paella. You can thank me/her later.

Paella is a great one dish wonder that is perfect for large group dinners. Its bright vibrant color makes it perfectly festive and the flavors transport you instantly into vacation mode.

Calamari (cleaned and cut)
Shrimp
Chicken
Chorizo
Scallops
Mussels
Clams
3 c Rice
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 large chicken stocks
Generous pinch of saffron threads (Trader Joe’s has it for a decent price)
½ bag frozen peas

For this recipe you will need a large paella pan or skillet that can be placed in the oven. The amount/type of seafood and meat you use can be up to you. Traditionally paella has shrimp in it but I am allergic to shrimp so Sandy sweetly accommodated my allergy and left them out. The sad thing is I LOVE shrimp and can totally imagine how good they would be in this wonderful dish.

Clean and prep all seafood. Steam mussels and remove one ½ of shells and set aside. Cut chorizo and chicken into chunks. Pour stock into a pot with saffron and bring to a slow boil. In a separate pan sautee onion and garlic with some olive oil to make the sofrito or the base flavor for the dish. Once the onions have begun to caramelize add the tomatoes. Fold in the rice until it is coated with the mixture and begins to toast. Mix the chicken and chorizo into the rice. Pour in 6 cups of the stock into the rice mixture and stir for 10 min until the rice begins to absorb the liquid.  Add seafood tucking each piece into the rice by pushing it down with a spoon. Bring the entire mixture to a boil and then add frozen peas. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 30 min at 350.

Before serving sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges for some added flare.