Spanish Paella

**inspired by Rachel Ray’s recipe. Yields 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups small white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into thirds
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 pound chorizo or Italian hot sausage, casing removed and sliced on an angle
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, 24 shrimps
• 18 green lipped mussels, cleaned
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 lemons zested

Garnish

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 4 scallions, chopped
• Lemon wedges
• Crusty bread for passing

Directions
In a very wide pan or paella pan, preheated over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, add rice and sauté 2 or 3 minutes. Add saffron threads, bay leaf, broth, and thyme and bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with lid or foil and reduce heat to simmer.

In a separate nonstick skillet, over medium high heat brown chicken on both sides in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add peppers and onions to the pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Add sausage to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.

After about 13 minutes, add shellfish (mussels and shrimps) to the rice pan, nesting them in cooking rice. Pour in peas, scatter lemon zest over the rice and seafood, then cover the pan again. After 5 minutes, remove cover or foil from the paella and discard any unopened mussel shells. Stir rice and seafood mixture and lift out bay and thyme stems, now bare of their leaves. Arrange cooked chicken and peppers, onions and chorizo around the pan. Top with parsley and scallions. Serve with wedges of lemon and warm bread.