Paella!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been holding off on this one for awhile.  My early years were spent in the Midwest where dinner usually consisted of  pot roast or chicken with cooked, frozen vegetables and mashed of boiled potatoes.  

When my family moved to California in my tween years, the Campbell's soup menu was in full force - 1000 ways to make an economical casserole with one pound of hamburger and a can of Campbell's soup. Money was tight, so my mother embraced this fully. The one we ate most and despite everything I still miss?  Tater Tot Casserole.  Pot Roast was relegated to family dinners on Sunday.  To say my culinary experience was limited is an understatement!

When I decided to head back to the kitchen, one dish that intrigued me was Paella. Traditional ingredients include: Italian rice, saffron and olive oil. Most have seafood.  Another important fact for those that want to create a true Paella is that a layer of toasted rice should be at the bottom. This is considered a delicacy in Spain and is essential.  I chose not to worry about any of this as I wasn't trying to be authentic, but come up with a new dish for my family that they would all eat.

I was a vegetarian for many years, so have a "no face, no blood, no bugs in houses" (prawns, shellfish, etc.) rule, but I felt I could come up with an adaptation that would fit my requirements and my family would eat.  The first problem was the pan.  A proper paella pan can be expensive and hard to find.  In a trip to Canadian Tire I lucked into a huge sale on T-Fal pots and found one that would work for me -the T-Fal Jumbo with lid. Years later, when we switched to an induction top stove, I switched to a Paderno 5 Qt. Jumbo Cooker. 

Then I needed a starting point. I found a basic recipe through a web search I felt I could work with. I chose to add things my family and I would enjoy - chicken, sausage and smaller scallops.  For the chicken, you can cook up a couple of chicken breasts or use the pre-cooked chicken found in the meat department at most grocery stores.  For the sausage, chose something you like - from mild to spicy.  The scallops can be frozen or fresh, small or large. All meat should be browned in a non-stick skillet ahead of time. 

The last issue I faced was finding saffron.  There is a lot of debate as to how much flavor this adds and what proper substitutes would be, but I wanted to keep this traditional element.  Check your local listings for gourmet stores that stock a wide range of seasonings, then call ahead of time to make sure they have it in stock.  Or you can buy it online from lots of different outlets. 

Here is the final recipe I came up with.  If you want to try it, don't be afraid so experiment and make it your own.  Not sure where to start, explore some the wonderful recipes found on the internet to get ideas.  I am now working on a vegetarian version for larger get-togethers.  The vegetarians in the crowd can eat as is and the meat eaters can use it as a side dish - the best of both worlds.  Enjoy!

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Paella
4-6 servings

Ingredients - 

1/2 tsp                        Saffron threads, crumbled
2 T                              Olive oil
1                                 Large sweet onion, diced
1                                 Large diced red or orange bell pepper, diced
2                                 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 C                             Mushrooms sliced and then coarsely chopped
2 C                             Fresh ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp                        Paprika
3 C                             Low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 C                             Medium-grain Spanish rice or Italian-style risotto rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

12-14 oz.                   Sausage (breakfast links, chorizo, or your favourite)
14 oz.                         Small scallops, rinsed and patted dry (optional)
14 oz.                         Diced cooked chicken (about 2 chicken breasts)
1 C                             Frozen peas

Instructions - 

Place saffron in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons (25 mL) of boiling water and steep 5 minutes.

Place oil in a Large skillet over burner the same size as the bottom of your pan (even heat is essential). Add onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato, paprika and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until mixture is very tender and almost sticky. Add stock, rice, steeped saffron, salt and pepper. Simmer covered over medium-low for 20 minutes, or until the rice is firm/tender and still slightly wet (add a little more stock if it is not).

While rice is cooking, brown sausages in a non-stick pan the remove to paper towel to drain. Add scallops and brown in same pan in sausage juices. Remove to paper towel and drain. Just before rice is finished cooking add sausage, chicken, scallops and frozen peas to pan. Gently stir and cover. Let cook a couple of minutes more, then let rest a few minutes before serving. It can be garnished with lemon wedges if you like.

p.s.  Epicurean has a seafood and chicken recipe that also looks amazing if you want another option - http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/18969/paella.html.