Traditional Spanish Paella

By á-178825

8 servings (1 1/2 c paella, 1 shrimp & 1 mussel). Serve with a good Spanish red wine from the Rioja region, crusty baguette & light salad. Excellent recipe.

Ingredients

• Herb Blend
• 1 c chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• 1 T EVOO
• 2 lg garlic cloves
• Paella
• 1 c water
• 1 t saffron threads
• 3 (16oz) cans fat free less sodium chicken broth
• 8 unpeeled jumbo shrimp (about 1/2 lb)
• 1 T EVOO
• 4 skinned boneless chicken thighs cut in half
• 2 links Spanish chorizo sausage (about 6 1/2 ozs) or turkey kielbasa cut into 1/2 in thick slices
• 4 oz slice prosciutto or 33% less sodium ham cut into 1 in pieces
• 2 c finely chopped onion
• 1 c finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 c canned diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 3 lg garlic cloves, minced
• 3 c uncooked Arborio rice or other short grain rice
• 1 c frozen peas
• 8 mussels scrubbed & debearded
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• Lemon wedges, optional

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the herb blend combine the first 4 ingredients & set aside.

To prepare the paella combine water, saffron & broth in lg pan. Bring to simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Peel & devein shrimp leaving tails intact; set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in lg paella pan or lg skillet over med high heat. Add chicken; saute 2 min on each side. Remove from pan. Add sausage & prosciutto; saute 2 min. Remove from pan. Add shrimp & saute 2 min. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to med low.

Add onion & bell pepper; saute 15 min stirring occassionally. Add tomatoes, paprika & 3 garlic cloves; cook 5 min. Add rice; cook 1 min stirring constantly. Stir in herb blend, broth mixture, chicken, sausage mixture & peas. Bring to low boil; cook 10 min stirring frequently.

Add mussels to pan nesting them into rice mixture. Cook 5 min until shells open; discard any unopened shells. Arrange shrimp, heads down, in rice mixture & cook 5 min until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with 1/4 c lemon juice. Remove from heat, cover with towel & let stand 10 min. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.