There must be thousands of recipes for paella. Some use seafood only, some are made with seafood and chicken and others include seafood, chicken and sausage. Some use Arborio rice and others long-grain rice. The common ingredient in most recipes is saffron. However, Bill is allergic to saffron, so I substitute turmeric, which works quite well. This recipe is adapted from Canadian Living’s Best One-Dish Meals. I used chicken drumsticks and clams, and added red pepper, Hot Italian sausage and jalapeno for colour and heat. The recipe below also includes shrimp.

Dredge chicken in flour before browning

Brown chicken well and set aside

Soften vegetables and add stock and tomatoes

Stir in rice and return chicken and sausage to pan

Nestle clams in rice

Cover and cook until clams are open; discard any that stay closed

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use all-natural chicken stock (I use Imagine brand), all-natural sausages and canned tomatoes with no artificial ingredients (such as Unico).

Ingredients:

12 mussel or clams

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch each salt and pepper

2 ½ lbs. chicken pieces

½ lb Hot Italian sausage

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 jalapeno, minced

½ tsp saffron threads (or substitute turmeric)

1 cup hot chicken stock

1 28-oz. can tomatoes

½ tsp dried oregano

1 cup long-grain rice

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups frozen peas

Lemon wedges for garnish

Preparation:

Bring water to boil in saucepan or skillet. Add sausages and simmer for 5 minutes to render excess fat. Remove sausages from water and, when cook, remove casings and slice sausages into ½-inch pieces.

Scrub mussels under running water and remove any beards. Discard any that do not close when tapped. If using clams, soak them in cool water for at least 10 minutes so that they disgorge any sand inside. Lift them out with a spider or slotted spoon. Discard any that do not close when tapped. Set aside.

In shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper; toss chicken in mixture to coat lightly.

In large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. Add sausage to pan and brown for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Drain off all but 3 tbsp fat from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic and peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. Dissolve saffron in stock; add to pan. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; bring to boil. Stir in rice. Return chicken to pan.

Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Nestle shrimp and mussels in rice; cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that do not open. If using clams, cook for only 5-10 minutes; discard any that do not open.

Stir in peas; cover and let stand for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serves 8.

Adapted from Canadian Living’s Best One-Dish Meals