Paella Valenciana

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 340 g bell pepper(s)
• 340 g tomatoes
• 50 g onion(s)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 260 g mussels, without shell
• 160 g chicken breast fillet(s), without skin
• 160 g pork fillet(s)
• 260 g shrimp(s)
• 40 g olive oil
• 200 g peas, frozen
• some saffron
• 4 tsp sweet paprika powder
• some salt and pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 860 ml vegetable broth
• 340 g rice
• 4 lemons, organic, cut into wedges

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

for meta-type alpha, healthy lunch, Spanish food

Preheat the oven to 250°C or preheat a paella pan. Place the peppers on the rack/in the pan for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skin turns brown and blisters. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds, and cut into thin strips. Reduce the oven to 180°C. Heat water and blanch the tomatoes, peel them, halve them crosswise, remove the stems and cores, and roughly chop. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Cook the mussels in hot water until they open; any that don’t open are inedible and should be discarded. Drain the mussels and reserve the stock. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Dice the pork fillet (alternatively, you can use either just chicken or just pork). Rinse the shrimp. Heat some of the olive oil in the pan until very hot and brown the poultry pieces on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper. Do the same with the pork. Fry the shrimp until red. Keep the meat, shrimp, and poultry warm. Sauté the onion and garlic in the remaining frying fat until translucent, add the tomatoes and peas, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the saffron and paprika, season generously with salt and pepper, and add the bay leaves. At this stage of preparation, the contents of the pan are called sofrito in Spain. Bring the meat/chicken broth and a little of the mussel broth to a boil. Add the rice to the ingredients in the pan (you can wait until the rice has seared and browned a little before the next step). Pour the boiling broth over the rice and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed almost all of its liquid. Stir in the bell pepper slices, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Arrange the chicken pieces, meat cubes, mussels, and shrimp on top of the rice. Garnish the paella with lemon wedges. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and let it rest in a preheated oven at medium heat for 15 minutes. If cooking on the stovetop, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Serve the paella in the pan.