The list of meat and seafood is a suggestion.  The more you add as a medley, the better things will taste.  The heat comes from Chorizo, so adjust the portions of Chorizo and other types of sausage to your taste.  With the seafood, just remember that is cooks faster, so add it at the same time as the shrimp.

Seafood

1-2lbs uncooked shrimp (21/25 count)
1 dozen mussels (optional)

Meat

8 ounces chorizo sausage OR 8 ounces andouille sausage (less heat)
1 lb pork sausage
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, quartered

Other Stuff

8-9 garlic cloves finely chopped
3 red bell peppers
1 onion chopped
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained and minced
2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas
2 tbs parsley chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat Oven to 350F.  Toss shrimp in salt pepper 1 tbs olive oil and 1 tsp garlic, cover and set aside.  Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat 2 tbs oil in dutch oven over med heat.  Saute peppers until skin begins to blister. Remove and set aside.

Brown chicken thighs in olive oil in batches and set aside in a bowl.  Brown chorizo or andouille sausage until fat begins to render, set aside.  Brown additional non-seafood meats and set aside.

Add olive oil to dutch oven, and cook onion over med heat until translucent, stirring often with a wooden spoon to pick up the brown bits.  Add the garlic for 2 mins.  Stir in the tomatoes until mixture starts to brown and thicken, making sure to continue scraping all of the brown bits off of the bottom with a wooden spoon.  Add the rice and stir until well coated.  Add the stock, wine, saffron, bay, and 1/2 tsp salt, non-seafood meats to the pot, turn to high and bring to a boil.  Cover pot and place in oven for 15-25 minutes until rice is almost absorbed (check after 15 minutes.  Cooking time depends on how much additional “stuff” you add to the mixture).

Take pot out, and scatter shrimp, peppers, mussels, peas over the top.  Return to oven and cook until shrimp are cooked through (10-15 minutes).

Optional: Put pot over med-high heat for 4 minutes turning after 2 mins to brown the bottom of the rice (this is call soccarat)

Let paella stand for 5 minutes.  Remove unopened mussels.  Scatter parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges.

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