Paella

I love a good seafood paella with a bit of Chorizo in it. The equipment you will need for this dish is a large deep skillet, I use a large Wok. So lets make some Paella for 4 people.

Ingredients

16 cherrystone clams

16 extra jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined.

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 small, cooked chorizo link, sliced thin (1.75 oz) I use Mild Palacios Chorizo in a package of 7.9 ounces, but only use about a quarter of it and then eat the rest as a snack with Italian provolone or Swiss cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 1/4 cups short or medium grain rice

1/3 cup tomatoes, finely diced, I  use grape tomatoes diced in a food processor.

2 1/2 cups chicken or you can use vegetable broth

1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 bay leaf

1/2 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips.

1/4 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley, to be used for garnish

3 Lemons quartered and served on top. 

Instructions

Clean the clams and soak in cold water for 30 minutes.

Clean the shrimp and devein them all and then transfer the shrimp to a bowl and season with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and the Old Bay.

Heat a large skillet or Wok that is nonstick over medium heat.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil and sauté the chorizo, onions, garlic and paprika until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Push aside, add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the center and add the rice, stirring to coat with the oil. Sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, broth, salt, saffron threads (crumbled between fingers) and bay leaf.

Mix and bring to a boil, stirring once, place the bell pepper over the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover tightly, cook 15-18 minutes. Uncover, add the clams, shrimp and peas.

Cover tightly again, reduce heat to low and cook until the clams are opened up and the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Uncover the skillet, raise the heat back to medium-high and cook to toast the bottom of the rice, you should hear it sizzling, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf and garnish with parsley. Then Serve with Naan bread or fresh Italian bread along with wedges of fresh lemons and enjoy.

 Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Graduating with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University in Business Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time, Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.