Paella - The Food of Kings

I have on many occasions invited friends over for Tapas and Paella so when an invitation came a few months ago I attended an event by Melanie Milasinovich also known as the Paella Queen. It was a fun and exciting evening with Tapas, Sangria and my favorite Paella. I had so much fun at the event that for my birthday I decided to fix a huge, huge pan of Paella and tapas for my friends. Paella is one of those dishes you can make simply or expand on it as one would with pizza. I personally love a fairly simple version which I am going to share with you. I have also been able to do it on my grill outside in the summer which adds to the party excitement. Also here is the You-Tube presentation of Melanie's Paella evening http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFS9y5vj32g. Also if you need some of the ingredients go to www.thespanishtable.com ENJOY!

Paella with Shrimp, Chicken, Serrano Ham and Chorizo (serves 10-12)

1/2 cup of olive oil (Spanish preferred)

1 lg onion, slivered

5 cloves of garlic minced

3 Chicken Breasts, Cut into 2 inch pieces

6 oz of chorizo, casting removed and cut into small pieces

8 oz of Serrano Ham, cut into thin strips

1 lb of shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 green bell peppers, cut into thin 2 inch strips

2 red bell pepperss, cut into thin 2 inch strips

4 large tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped

2.5 cups of Bomba Rice

8 cups of chicken stock

1 tsp Turmeric

3/4 tsp Saffron threads, break down in a mortar and add a 1/4 cup of the chicken stock

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Wedges

Heat the oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown. Remove chicken to plate. Saute the peppers, onions til they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the chorizo and cook of 5-7 minutes. Add the chicken, spices, ham, tomatoes and rice. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes. Add the 1/2 of the chicken stock and mix well. Reduce the heat to Medium/Low and do not stir. Every few minutes add a bit more of the chicken stock - but do not stir the mixture. After about 10 minutes top the mixture with the shrimp. Continue to cook and add broth. After 5 minutes turn the shrimp and continue to cook and add broth as needed.

Serve with lemon wedges.