in the summer of 2004, my friend a and i went on a backpacking trip throughout europe.  we were gone for two weeks and spent most of our time in spain.  a had spent some time in spain as an exchange student.  she kept in contact with her host family and so, halfway through our trip we visited them on the southern coast.  they were very lovely did not mind one bit that all her and i did was play around in the pool and eat. we were poor college students after all. on our last day in their town they bought us lottery tickets (random, i know) and took us out to eat at a beachside restaurant where we had one of the best paellas i have ever had.

paellas come from the valencia region of spain.  there are three types: paella valenciana (meat, rice, vegetables), paella de mariscos (seafood paella) and paella mixta (both meat and seafood).  here is my version of a paella mixta with shrimp, scallops and chorizo!

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
3-4 chorizos
1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
1 lemon
parsley
1 large onion
1 large tomato
dry oregano
about 1/2 lb of shrimp and 1/2 lb of scallops
salt and pepper
paprika
4 garlic cloves
saffron (i used goya seasoning with saffron because i don’t have saffron at home right now)
roasted peppers
2 cups of uncooked white rice

INSTRUCTIONS:
start by cutting up the chorizo into chunks.

heat up the olive oil in a skillet or a paella pan if you have it. add the chorizo and start cooking it.  it will start letting off some oil. that is ok.

while the chorizo cooks, chop up the onion, tomato and garlic.

check on the chorizo. it is almost ready.

cut up a large piece of roasted red pepper. about half a pepper.

check on the chorizo. it will be ready once it has let out a lot of oil and crisped up.

transfer it to a bowl with some napkins or paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

now back to the pan.

cook the garlic for a few seconds.

add the onions.

and the tomato and roasted peppers.

mix them well and add a few sprinkles of ground pepper and about 1/2 tsp of dry oregano.

add 1/2 tbs of paprika.

mix well to combine the spices.

add the rice and fold it in to mix everything.

add the saffron.  as i mentioned above, i didn’t have saffron at home so i used one of the goya seasoning packets with saffron.  it worked out perfectly.

mix in and cover with water.

cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until most of the water evaporates.

everything smelled so delicious!

add the scallops once most of the water evaportes.

and the shrimp.  i used cooked shrimp because that is what we had in my supermarket but you can use raw shrimp as well.  make sure to wash and clean them well.

finally, add the chorizo.

fold everything in.  at this point i needed a bigger pan.

finally, add the frozen peas.

mix them in well.

cover the pan and cook for a few more minutes until the water evaporates.

serve with lemon and use some parsley to garnish.

i love paella!

and i love one pan meals as well.  pair this paella with a glass of wine or sangria if you’d like.

i hope you try making it. it is delicious. and a great way to impress people.

thank you for stopping by!

ps. tomorrow i will post another chorizo dish: chorizo and white bean stew.