Paella a la Paméla

prep time:: 1 hr
total time:: 35 min cooking time

Paella for 6

Pam Lamirande

Traditional dish of Spain

ingredients

3 cups rice
6 cups broth (chicken or clam)
1 medium diced onion
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 to 3 packages of saffron
2 cups peas
3/4 cup finely ground pepperoni
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 chorizo sausages
16 oz shrimp
12 oz scallops
2 to 3 pounds clams

directions

Day before

1
Grind pepperoni in grinder or Cuisinart.
2
Chop and dice onions and garlic.
3
Cut thighs into 2 inch chunks and cook until pink is gone.
4
Cut chorizo sausage into 2 inch chunks and cook until pink is gone.
5
Clean and remove shell from shrimp.
6
Wash clams to rid grit, put clams into pot cover generously with water and boil until clams begin to open.
7
Remove them from heat immediately and drain the clam water into a bowl, put clams into cold water until cooled. Store clams in water.
8
Keep clam water to use as broth for paella.

Day of

1
Heat the paellera (paella pan).
2
Add olive oil and saute onions and garlic until translucent.
3
Add rice and stir around to coat with the oil. add 1 cup of clam or chicken broth.
4
Add 2 packages of saffron, check for color, you might need to add an additional one if the color is pale.
5
Immediately add peas and pepperoni.
6
Stir, add more broth as needed (you want to keep the rice moist).
7
Add the chicken and sausage, stir.
8
Keep testing the rice for tenderness, keep adding the broth as needed.
9
When the rice is close to done, about 5 minutes from done add the shrimp, bury them in the rice, 3 minutes later add scallops and clams, burying clams also.
10
When shrimp is all pink and the clams are all open your paella is ready.

notes

Your paellera can feed 4 people with a lot of left over, 6 people with some left over, if you want to feed 8 people up the rice to 3 1/2 or 4 cups of rice and remember that one cup of rice requires 2 cups of liquid so up your broth accordingly.

Source: Pam Lamirande