Paella Valencia

serves 6 - 8
Paella refers to the large round pan in which this dish is cooked. However, the term has come to mean any seafood and rice dish. Valencia is a city in Spain. Just about anything can be added to this dish, sausage, seafood, vegetables. What follows is a fairly traditional mixture, if such a thing can even be said about this dish.

1 pound mussels in the shell
1 pound small clams in the shell
½ pound shrimp
2 pounds of chicken parts
½ pound pork cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup of smoked ham
1 cup sliced Spanish Chorizo Sausage (Polish Kielbasa will substitute)
½ cup of olive oil, possibly more
2 yellow onions peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
½ cup peas
2 cups uncooked white rice
3 cups of chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/8 teaspoon saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons annatto oil
1 teaspoon paprika

Rinse the clams and mussels and soak in cold water for 1 hour. Drain. Rinse well, sand tends to accumulate in the shells.

Heat the olive oil in a paella pan, wok or large frying pan. Brown the chicken. Remove and set aside. Leave the oil and brown the pork, remove and set aside. Once again leave the oil in the pan. Add the onion, garlic, ham cubes, and sausage slices. When the onion is translucent, add the bell pepper. Cook a bit more and remove everything from the pan, leaving the oil like before.

Add the rice and stir fry lightly just until it just begins to brown. Do not let it get to dark or the rice will get bitter. Add the chicken, pork, and vegetable mixture that you set aside earlier. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the saffron, annatto oil, paprika and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally or shaking the pan.

Add the wine, shrimp, clams, and mussels. Place the shelled seafood deep into the rice, with the hinged sides down. Add the peas on top. Replace cover and continue to cook until the clams and mussels are open and the rice is tender.