Paella Recipe

Ingredients:

3 whole                              chicken breasts

125 ml or ½ cup                 olive oil

2 cloves                              garlic, slivered

1 large                                green pepper, slivered

1/3 cup or 80ml                  finely chopped onion

2 tsp or 10 ml                     paprika

½ tsp or 2ml                       pepper

2 cups or 500 ml                regular long-grain rice

12 oz pkg or 350g              frozen peas

2 large                                tomatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely

4 cups or 1 L                      chicken stock

¼ tsp or 1ml                       saffron

1lb or 450g                         raw shrimp, shelled and cleaned

16                                       clams (in the shell)

                                           Chopped parsley

                                           Lemon wedges

Procedure:

 Have butcher cut each chicken breast in half and each half, through the bone, into 4 pieces (24 small pieces).

 Heat ¼ cup (60ml) of the olive oil in each of two 10-inch (25cm) heavy iron skillets (see note below). Add half of chicken pieces to each and brown well. Add half of garlic, green pepper, onion, paprika, and pepper to each pan. Stir to blend and cook gently 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

 Add half of rice, peas, and tomatoes to each pan. Bring chicken stock to a boil Add saffron and stir until dissolved. Add half of stock to each pan. Cook 10 minutes over moderately high heat, uncovered. Do not stir.

Add shrimp, pushing down well into liquid. Lower heat, cover tightly and simmer 10 to 15 minutes more or until chicken and rice be tender.

Heat oven to 350F (175C).

 Uncover skillets. Stir mixture lightly with s fork, put in oven and cook another 15 minutes or until almost all liquids is absorbed.

 Scrub clam shells very well with a brush. Put in steamer or sieve over boiling water and cover tightly. Steam until shells open, about 10 minutes.

 Sprinkle cooked paella with chopped parsley and top with steamed clams and lemon wedges.

 Note:   If you happen to have a paella pan use only the one pan for the whole recipe.

If fresh shrimp and clams are not available use 18 oz (510g) of canned shrimp (drained and rinsed) and a 5-oz (140g) can clams (drained). Add them for the last 15 minutes of cooking, pushing them well down into the rice mixture.

 Serve 8.