I made the paella from The Ultimate Cookbook a little differently since I am using my roasted chicken and prefer more seafood in my paella. I used a pound of scallops and shrimp. If you decide to use the same amount of seafood, plan on having a dinner party or plenty of leftovers.

I diced a 1/4 of an onion instead of only using 1 tablespoon and cooked the rice in about 4 cups of homemade chicken stock. I think adding more stock to the rice as it cooks improves the flavor and creates a fluffier rice. Plus, all the nutrients in the stock are absorbed into the rice.

Below are the ingredients to spice up the seafood and chorizo. My kids thought this was too spicy so you may want to use a mild italian sausage if you do not like the kick in the sausage.

Directions

1) Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add the chopped onions and sauté until fragrant. You can add a clove of minced garlic too if you wish. If you are fighting a cold, I highly recommend adding the garlic.

2) Add 1/2 a cup of rice. I use long grain rice pilaf but do not add the seasoning packet in the box. Coat the rice in oil. Add 4 cups of homemade chicken stock. Add 1 teaspoon of fresh spanish saffron and mix in well.   The saffron makes the rice so much better so buy the best you can. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender and fluffy. Add more stock when needed. If I add more stock, I boil it again. Probably not necessary but it makes me feel better.

3) Remove the rice and add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Throw on the snapper fillet and sear all sides. Add the scallops and cook for a minute. Then throw on the precooked, sliced chorizo or sausage, chicken pieces, peeled and deveined shrimp, and cleaned mussels. You can add fresh tomatoes and peas to the paella at this time. I limit tomatoes due to their inflammatory properties so there are not any in this dish.

Cover with 1 cup of clam juice and place in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to bake at 450 degrees. I needed a larger pan with all the seafood in this paella. My 9 inch skillet was too small and I needed to get a second skillet. Use the biggest pot you have for this recipe!

4) Remove the pan from the oven. Check to make sure the snapper is cooked all the way through. Scoop some rice on a plate and add the meat and seafood on top. Spoon on the yummy sauce.

5) Garnish with fresh parsley. Save some to have after the meal to freshen your breath. Serve warm.

6) Pair with a Spanish Rose with a dry yet fruity flavor. This from Perrine’s Wine Shop complimented the saffron and mild seafood.

The Ultimate Cookbook

Paella
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1/2 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon oil
6 ounces chicken breast, quartered
1 precooked mild Italian sausage, quartered
1 white fish fillet (preferably snapper), quartered
4 raw scallops
4 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 medium clams in shell
4 mussels in shell
1 cup clam juice
1 box rice pilaf, prepared

In a large skillet, melt butter and oil – do not brown Add next 7 ingredients. Saute mixture over medium heat 5 minutes. Cover with clam juice. Place pan in 450 degree oven. Cook 10 minutes or until chicken and fish are thoroughly cooked. Place cooked rice pilaf in bottom of casserole dish. Pour paella mixture over rice. Yield 4 servings

East Bay Trading Company

Rice Pilaf with Saffron

½ tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon onion
½ cup rice
½ teaspoon saffron
1 cup chicken stock

Bring ingredients to a boil. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is reduced. Yield: 3/4 cup

Note: May add precooked broccoli, whole mushroom caps or cherry tomatoes.