The origins of paella are ancient, rooted in the area around Valencia, Spain near the Albufeira Lagoon, where both fishing and rice growing dominated the region for centuries. Paella was the food of farm workers who cooked dishes of rice over wood fires, embellished with whatever ingredients they could find.

This Mediterranean dish is perfect for special occasions and different sensations at dinner. Could sound difficult but is easier than it sounds, and even if you found it difficult in the recipe, we will bet you that it's worth it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Onion 
• 1 Bell pepper
• 4 Cloves garlic
• 3 Tomatoes
• ¼ cup flat leaf Parsley 
• ¼ cup Frozen peas
• Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 pinch of organic saffron
• Salt and Pepper at taste
• ½ lb of jumbo shrimps
• ½ lb of Mussels
• 8 oz of calamari
• ¼ cup Olive oil
• 1 cup White wine
• 2 cups Spanish Rice 
• 4 boneless or skinless chicken thighs
• 5 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

• Saute, the first step for this dish. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell, peppers and garlic and move until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. After this time, add white wine and cook for 10 minutes, then add chopped parsley and cook for another minute.
• Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth once or twice during cooking.
• Now, cook paella uncovered for 15-18 minutes, then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. Remove pan from heat and cover, let it rest for 10 minutes.
• In this amount, the dish should be enough for 3-4 people.

Rice for Paella

Spanish rice it ́s a short grain rice that absorbs more water than regular rice, without turning mushy. If you need a substitute, you can use medium grain rice. Also, the recommendation for this recipe is don’t wash the rice before cooking because we want to keep the outer layer of starch and don’t stir the rice.

Paella without seafood

If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken and vegetables. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces of fish.

More tasty recipes with saffron

• Cod in Saffron y Brothy Tomatoes
• Saffron Tomato Soup
• Persian love cake
• Vegan rice pudding
• Shole zard