Saffron Paella With Seafood and Sausage
By: Michele Morris
Published: Sunday, January 3, 2010 - 3:59pm

Ingredients




1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 pinch saffron threads
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red bell pepper, diced small
2 ounces sausage, Andouille best
1/2 cup rice
6 large shrimp
6 whole mussels
salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Preparation

1 Heat chicken stock in the microwave and dissolve saffron in the stock. 2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium high heat; add onion and cook until barely soft then add red pepper and sausage and cook until pepper is slightly soft and sausage is lightly browned. 3 Add garlic and cook for one minute, then add rice and saffron stock, cover, and bring to a boil. 4 Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, then salt and pepper to taste. 5 Lay shrimp and mussels on top of partially cooked rice, replace cover, and cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, the shrimp are cooked, and the mussels have opened, about 10 more minutes. 6 Discard any unopened mussels and sprinkle entire dish with parsley. Serve immediately.

About


I created this easy yet elegant paella recipe for a piece on aphrodisiac foods that ran on the Gaiam website last February. This is simple enough to make for a weeknight meal, but also fancy enough to make for a dinner party. Serve it with a nice crusty bread, a simple green salad, and a glass of crisp white wine. Enjoy!