Paella Manantiales Caliente

Sprinkle cut-up sausage and chicken with salt and pepper and half the paprika and garlic. Allow to marinate on countertop for 30 minutes while you’re gathering the rest of the ingredients and doing the prep work.

Heat the chicken broth to a simmer and add saffron. Keep warm on stove.

If you don’t have a paella pan, use a 12-inch skillet at least 3 1/2 inches deep; this recipe will fill that size skillet. Using 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil, saute the sausage and chicken until browned. Add the beans, and if fresh, the artichoke hearts, and saute until they begin to brown (if using canned artichoke hearts, we’ll add them later).

Push veggies and meat to the outside of the pan and pour remaining olive oil in the center. Add the remaining garlic and paprika and the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to break down. Then stir in the veggies and meat. Add rice and stir to coat well with mixture in pan.

Add about four cups of the simmering chicken stock, and turn heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until liquid is just above the level of the rice. At that point, move it to a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, adding the remaining broth if it begins to look dry.

Remove from oven and cover pan. Allow paella to sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes to let rice finish steaming.

I served it with a plate of caprese salads and a dish of mixed olives and the kids inhaled it. It’s labor intensive, but worth it!