Paella

Note: For the seafood, use anything you’d like. Shrimp, white fish, or scallops all work great!

If using chorizo, skip this step. If you are using Italian sausage or another type of un-cooked sausage … In a large pot, bring 3 inches of water to a boil. Add the the sausages and boil for 3 minutes or until they are just starting to cook through on the outside. Remove the sausages, drain the water, and return the pot to the stove top over medium heat.

Add the olive oil to the pot and cut the sausages, in their casings, into slices. Add the sausage slices to the olive oil and brown for 5 minutes on both sides. The sausage may not be fully cooked through, which is OK. Remove the browned sausage to a plate while you prepare the rest of the paella.

To the pot with the sausage drippings, add the onion, garlic, and chili pepper with a sprinkle of salt. If the pan is very hot and sizzling, turn the heat down. Stir the veggies to soften for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice and the thyme leaves to the veggie mixture. Stir for 2 minutes to coat the rice in the olive oil and sausage drippings.

Add the wine, and allow to reduce by half. Add the stock and the canned tomatoes. Crush the saffron in your hand and add the saffron to the rice mixture. If you are using homemade or unsalted stock, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt here.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low or medium low so that the stock is just simmering. Simmer for 7 minutes to partially cook the rice.

Add the seafood and sausage to the partially cooked rice. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot and the rice should be very al dente.

Stir to nest the seafood and sausage into the rice. Cover the pot, and cook for an additional 10-13 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the shellfish has opened. Add more time if you need to!

To the cooked rice, stir in the butter, parsley, and scallion. Scrape up any crusty bits from the bottom of the pot—they’re delicious! Remove any un-opened shellfish.

Serve with lemon wedges and extra fresh herbs and pepitas or other nuts that you enjoy.