Paella

Ingredients

1 3-pound chicken, cut into small pieces (about 12)
2 teaspoons salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped celery
6 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped andouille sausage
3 cups uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
9 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
6 cups white chicken stock
3 small (1 to 1 1/4 pounds each) lobsters, lightly steamed, cut into serving pieces
36 scrubbed littleneck clams
36 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
18 medium shrimp in their shells (about 3/4 pound)

Instructions

Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with salt and 18 turns of pepper. Pat in seasoning with your hands. Heat oil in a large deep saucepan over high heat. Add chicken and sear until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, sausage and rice and stir fry 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire, hot sauce, bay leaves, Creole seasoning and saffron and simmer 1 minute. Add stock, stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 4 minutes.

Add lobster, tucking pieces into rice, cover and cook 4 minutes. Add clams, cover and cook 4 minutes. Add mussels and shrimp, cover and cook until rice is tender and shellfish are opened, about 3 minutes. Discard any mussels or clams that have not opened.

Serve in large shallow bowls. Place empty bowls on table for shells.

Yield: 6 servings