Ingredients

2 cups of Spanish rice (rounded & short grain)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 liters chicken stock

2 links of Spanish chorizo

20 Queen clams

500 grs cleaned squid, in rings

20 medium size shrimps

10 chicken legs

500 grs fish filet in cubes (bite size)

10 baby back ribs

SOFRITO (SAUCE)

1 large onion

1 large red bell pepper

1 carrot

½ cup green peas

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

8 peeled tomatoes

1 gr saffron

1 Spanish seasoning packet (Carmencita)

1 tsp of turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

The star of this traditional dish is the rice, therefore we cook the ingredients separately and once the rice is ready we assemble everything to create the presentation we wish to give.

We start early by cooking the sofrito in the following manner:

Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot: chop the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add the carrots & tomatoes chopped in small cubes, then the peas and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add the turmeric, saffron and Spanish seasoning, bay leaves, salt and pepper, then cook until boiling point and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until all the flavors are mixed.

Put all the ribs in a large pot and cover with water. Cook for 2 – 2.5 hours until the meat separates easily from the bone. Once cooked, put them in the Sofrito and let them simmer for 10 minutes so they absorb all the flavors. Set aside. Do the same with the chicken legs. Set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in the Paellera and cook the rice until it turns a pale gold shade. Add 2 cups of sofrito and 2 cups of chicken stock, saffron and Spanish seasoning packet, add salt and pepper to taste and the chorizo in thin slices, arranging it around the pan. Cover with tin foil and let cook for 10 minutes constantly moving the paellera so the heat reaches everywhere.

Uncover, check if liquid has been absorbed (perfect paella calls for soft, cooked rice that doesn`t stick), add sofrito and chicken stock as necessary, and in the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the cooked ribs and chicken legs arranging around it, then fish cubes, shrimps, clams and squid rings and heads. Cover again and let it cook for 10 minutes, moving every so often so the heats gets in all areas and paella cooks well.

Note: You can use chicken breast (cut in cubes) instead of chicken legs and add to paella during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Or you could add one whole and clean crab right at the center for a dramatic finish when you add all seafood.

Sprinkle finely chopped parsley and serve with a mixed salad and garlic bread.