Paella

Paella is a dish that originated in Valencia Spain in the mid 19th century.  The original dish was made with meat,  typically rabbit and chicken and sometimes snails were added.  It also had green beans, white beans,rice and a number of spices. Over time, Spanish costal towns adopted the dish and substituted seafood for the meat.  They typically used mussels, shrimp, cuttlefish and sometimes even lobster.  This then evolved into what in Spain today is called mixed paella (paella mixta), where there are combinations of meat, seafood and sometimes even sausage.  Paella is typically cooked over an open fire, in a large shallow pan.  Some modern varieties are cooked on the stove top, but my particular recipe starts on the stovetop and is finished in the oven in a Dutch oven or large roasting dish.  I got the original recipe through a gourmet group that we belonged to years ago in Connecticut.  I have made a couple of modifications over time, but the recipe is basically the same one that We have been using for over 30 years.

Ingredients:

16 mussels, in well scrubbed shells
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 TBSP minced onion
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 three Lb. chicken cut into pieces ( I generally substitute chicken thighs)
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Lb. round garlic-seasoned sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can artichoke hearts
16 small clams (soaked in at least three clean water baths)

16 Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 whole pimento, cut into strips
2 Cups long grain rice
3 Cups hot chicken broth
3 tsps. salt
1/4 tsps. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsps. saffron
2 cups frozen peas

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, simmer mussels in wine with parsley and minced onion until onion is soft.  Remove mussels and set aside. Save broth.  In a large Dutch oven on the stovetop sauté chicken in olive oil until golden brown.  Remove chicken.  Add sausage, the 1/4 Cup onion and the garlic.  Sauté until the onion is straw colored and soft.  Add half of the clams, shrimp, tomatoes, pimento, rice, chicken broth, mussels, mussel broth, artichoke, peas and chicken.  Sprinkle with half the salt, cayenne, and saffron.  Now with the other half of the ingredients repeat the procedure, layering another layer on the first set of ingredients.  Cover tightly with foil or a tight fitting lid.  Cook in the oven until rice is tender (approximately 35-45 minutes).  Serve on a hot serving platter with the chicken, seafood, and sausage on top of the rice. 
This is a one dish meal.  I like to serve with crusty baguette, Rioja wine and maybe a side salad.  The meal is capped perfectly with a flan, but more on that later.