Paella

There are so many different ways to make a paella! Here's my mixed up and perhaps over-simplified way:

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil and butter
salt & pepper
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, not marinated, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 lb spicy Italian sausage, sliced
1/4 lb mild Italian sausage, sliced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
oregano, sage, paprika, parsley, adobo
Optional (pending stock quality/flavor): thyme, bay leaf, coriander, cayenne pepper
2–3 cups Arborio rice
1/4 tsp saffron and 1/4 tsp saffron threads
6 cups chicken stock (homemade = yummy)
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 lb sea scallops, quartered
butter, olive oil

In a soup pot, heat the stock over med-low to slightly simmering, but not boiling.
In a very large, deep skillet, over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper until soft but not browned. Add bell peppers and artichoke hearts and cook a few minutes more. Increase heat to med-high, add tomatoes, sausage, vinegar, and spices. Cook, stirring fairly constantly, ~15 minutes over med-high-high until sausage is cooked through and sauce is significantly reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust salt and paprika/pepper, etc. Reduce heat to med-med-high and add rice and saffron. Mix thoroughly.

This part takes a while. Reduce heat to med-med-low. Add stock about a cup at a time, mixing it in and then letting it sit until mostly absorbed. Then add some more. Keep going a bit at a time, waiting until most of the liquid is absorbed between each addition, until rice is just tender. Add peas just before rice is done.

When you’re down to your last two cups of stock, start cooking the shellfish. In another small skillet, heat some olive oil and butter. Sauté shrimp until opaque and almost cooked, then add scallops. Sauté until scallops are almost cooked. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and heat until bubbling furiously. Pour it all into the rice concoction and mix gently.

Tis done :) It’s yummiest eaten with a glass of red wine at hand.