Maria's Classic Paella
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
 - 20 saffron threads, crushed
 - 3/4 cup olive oil
 - 4 chicken thighs
 - 1 cup chopped onion
 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
 - 4 links chorizo de bilbao (spicy Spanish semi-cured sausage)
 - 2 cups Spanish paella rice
 - 2 teaspoons Spanish sweet paprika
 - 1/2 cup grated peeled roma (plum) tomatoes
 - 8 clams in shell, scrubbed, or more to taste
 - 8 mussels, cleaned and debearded, or more to taste
 - 8 prawns, peeled and deveined (leave tails)
 - 3 red bell peppers, cut into strips
 - 10 ounces peas
 - salt and ground black pepper to taste
 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
 - 8 wedges lemon
 - 1 baguette, sliced
 
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Instructions
- Bring stock to a simmer in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Stir crushed saffron into the simmering stock.
 - Heat olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Fry chicken thighs in hot oil until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes more. Arrange the chorizo into the pan around the chicken thighs and cook until warmed, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
 - Pour rice into the paella pan and stir to coat with oil; season with sweet paprika. Stir grated tomato into the rice and cook until the tomato is warmed, 2 to 3 minutes.
 - Pour chicken stock into the paella pan and bring to a boil while scraping any browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged wooden spoon. Smooth surface of rice with the wooden spoon in an even layer so it cooks evenly.
 - Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, without stirring, until the rice has softened but has yet to completely absorb the stock, 15 to 30 minutes.
 - Place clams and mussels, hinged-side down, into the rice; continue simmering until the mussels and clams open, 5 to 7 minutes.
 - Nestle prawns into the rice; add bell pepper and peas. Continue cooking until the bottom of the rice is browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle parsley over the paella, and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with baguette slices.
 
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