Poor Man's Paella

Paella has been a staple for some time in our family. Over the years I have tweaked it to please even  the youngest kids, and  there are usually no leftovers. This dish can be expensive or not, depending on the ingredients you use. Apologies to my friends and readers who are really good cooks; I am on a budget, have 7 kids to please, and not a lot of time to prepare elaborate dinners.

I don't have a paella pan, so I use my wok. I start with 4 thinly sliced cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil and saute them on medium heat until the garlic turns brown. Then, I add 2 cups of rice and stir. While the rice is cooking, I prepare some chicken bullion in 6 cups of water. If I happen to have some chicken stock in the freezer, I'll use that. I add 1 tablespoon of saffron to the broth and let it sit a few minutes while I stir my rice.

Saffron is really expensive, and will be the most costly (pound for pound) ingredient in this dish. I feel that saffron makes this dish distinct, so I splurge here. I buy mine on line here: chef depot, and it takes me about 2 years to use it, making paella about once a month.

I add the broth, stir and cover. Then I assemble the meat: chicken, sausage and shrimp. Here is another area where you can spend a lot or a little.

In the past, I used inexpensive chicken thighs on the bone, but I manage to find boneless chicken breasts on sale and usually have some on hand. I found that the chicken breasts are easier to eat than the bone-in thighs. I use about 2 large boneless breasts.

Traditional Paella calls for Chorizo sausage, but it's not offered at the stores I frequent, so, rather than make a special trip, I just use Italian sausage- about a pound of links.

I can usually find fairly inexpensive frozen shrimp and I only use a pound of it. But if I don't have any on hand, or I am trying to scrimp on money, I just don't add it.

I add the meat to the pot, cover, and let it cook, on low, for about an hour. If it's looking a bit dry, I add a cup or so of water. Then I add a cut up red or bell pepper, a jar of artichoke hearts and a cup of frozen peas. (In the summer, when I have fresh tomatoes, I will cut up one or two, and add them right at the end.) I throw in a dash of cayenne and crushed red pepper. If I used homemade chicken stock, I add some salt, too. Then, I let this cook, covered, for another half hour or so. I have found that the longer Paella cooks, the better it tastes, so if more than half an hour goes by, it's no big deal.

This feeds the nine of us with enough left over for my husband's lunch.
It's a complete meal in one dish: rice, veggies and meat. Plus, there is only one pan to clean! Easy.