Shrimp Paella

Photo: flickr user Ruth L

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 medium red pepper finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 can tomatoes in puree (14 oz ounces)

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup fully cooked chorizo sausage, diced

OR pepperoni

2 bottles clam juice (8 oz)

2 cups medium-grain rice

1/2 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads crumbled

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 package frozen baby peas (10 ounces)

1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined, and cut lengthwise in half

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. In deep 12-inch skillet with heat-safe handle heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir in garlic and ground red pepper, and cook 30 seconds Add tomatoes with their puree and white wine; cook, stirring frequently until mixture is very dry, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon.

Stir chorizo, clam juice, rice, salt saffron, thyme, bay leaf, and 2 1/4 cups water into tomato mixture; heat to( boiling over high heat. Cover skillet and bake 15 minutes.

Stir in frozen peas. Tuck shrimp into rice mixture; cover and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until shrimp turn opaque. Remove skillet from oven and let stand a few minutes. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle paella with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.