Valencia Style Paella

I had the most wonderful paella at a restaurant in Scottsdale called Tapas Pappas Fritas. Their seafood paella has not only shrimp, but also clams and mussels. In addition to sausage, they include tender pieces of chicken. It's a dish to savor and clamor over. Here's my (much simpler and quicker) rendition. This has much of the same flavor and taste, but is somewhat easier, and certainly less expensive, to put together as it includes cooked rice and only shrimp and sausage.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
12 large shrimp
1 link chicken andouille sausage, thinly sliced
1 tsp better than bullion low sodium chicken broth, mixed in
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1-1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup frozen peas
lemon wedges for garnish
sea salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed skillet or enameled cast iron pan. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and sausage and continue to cook until the shrimp turns pink, about 5 more minutes. Add the broth in the water, the paprika and saffron, along with the cooked rice and peas. Stir and cook until the rice is heated through and the peas are hot, about another 5 minutes. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

Serves 3

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This includes cooked rice. I used quick cooking Brown Basmati Rice by Seeds of Change. It cooks in the microwave in just 90 seconds! It's also low in sodium, but high in taste. And, it's one of the (stealthy) ways this recipe becomes ready in under 20 minutes.