Ingredients:
· 2 T. the absolute best quality Spanish olive oil you can find in America. If you cannot locate this in America, book a roundtrip ticket to Spain. I prefer any olive oils you can find around the Cordoba or Andulusia regions.
· 1 yellow onion, diced
· 1 red bell pepper, diced
· 6 cloves garlic, minced
· 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
· ½ C. white wine
· 1 generous pinch saffron
· 1.5 C. bomba rice
· 3 – 4 C. chicken (or seafood) stock
· 1 lb. clams
· 1 lb. mussels
· ½ lb. shrimp, unpeeled
· 4 bay leaves
· 1 C. frozen peas
· ¼ C. chopped parsley
· Zest of 1 lemon
Method:
1. Combine the white wine with the saffron in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a paellera, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes making sure that the vegetables are spread out in an even layer in the pan so they can pick up color.
3. Move the mixture to the outer rim of the pan, add the tomatoes to the middle of the pan, again in a flat layer. Season with salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes cook for 3-5 minutes or until they have begun to caramelize. Mix all together with the other vegetables, and return to the outer rim of the pan.
4. Lower the heat to medium and add the rice to the middle of the pan. Toast the rice gently until it begins to pick up some color – rice should begin to appear translucent. Stir the rice into the vegetables.
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine saffron mixture, and cook down slightly to remove the alcohol. Fold in the seafood.
6. Return the heat to medium high and add 3 C. stock and the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and check the stock level – a little wet is ok. The rice should be 2/3 the way cooked. If the mixture has enough moisture to finish cooking the rice, do not add more stock. If the mixture is too dry, add more stock, ½ C. at a time until the liquid cooks out and the rice is cooked. Remove pan from heat, fold in the peas, parsley, and the lemon zest. Let sit, covered 10-15 minutes. Serve Immediately.