Mmmm, Paella!

Last week I shared the Tres Leches recipe that I used for Mom's birthday cake. Today I am bringing you the Paella recipe that I use and love. We also made Sangria and I used this recipe.

This was the second time that I have made Paella for a crowd (which I recommend) and I used a combination of two recipes. I am going to link to the one that is closest to what I did and then tell you the changes that I made. Here is the Saveur recipe for Paella Mixta that I adapted.

Changes: I left out the Mussels and Artichokes
I used fresh Red Bell Pepper instead of jarred, and added it when I added the onions.
I used Chicken breast instead of thighs.
I doubled this recipe and made two pans of Paella.
I don't have a Paella pan, so I used one cast iron skillet and one large enameled skillet.
I added the frozen peas at the end when I added the shrimp back.
I garnished this dish with Flat Leaf Parsley and Sliced lemons, both of which I highly recommend!

Prepping the ingredients

Using Saffron feels very luxurious!

Frank posing with the Paella

The pre-cooked Shrimp and Peas go on at the end and after a few minutes of sitting it is ready.

When you serve this up you can see the gorgeous yellow hue that the saffron imparts!
This Paella tastes very fresh and all the ingredients both stand out and blend together to make a delicious dish.

Mom's birthday flowers

I think Paella is a great dish for a crowd and for a special occasion. It would be hard to make a small batch of this, but it is easy to double up and make more. The ingredients are a bit of a splurge, so they make a great party entree. It is also a one pot dish, so there isn't a great deal of clean up. I will definitely be keeping this recipe in my repertoire!

Ps, resist the urge to stir this as it cooks, the crusty bottom that the rice creates is actually desired. Frank kept wanting me to stir it but I insisted that you are not supposed to.