Paella in my new Pot

So you saw the perfect dutch oven my Santa gave me for Christmas?  Well, I could think of nothing better that Paella to break it in!  I love love love seafood in all of it's wonderful forms, and it seems to hit the spot this time of year.  This recipe has sausage, clams, and shrimp...but you could put in chicken, scallops, mussels...whatever your heart desires!

Here's what you'll need:
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 vidalia onion or large yellow onion, chopped
2 small red bell peppers, thinly julienned
1 package hot kielbasa sausage, sliced or chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb or 2 1/2 cups medium grain rice
3/4 lb peeled, deveined raw shrimp (25 to 30 count per pound)
2 lbs clams, rinsed and scrubbed
1/2 cup frozen green peas

For Garnish:
Lemon wedges
chopped Italian parsley

In a medium sized sauce pan, add your chicken stock and saffron.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.

Place your dutch oven over medium high heat and add butter and olive oil.  When hot, add onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened - about 5 minutes.

Add your hot kielbasa and saute until heated through and browned.

Then add chopped tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 5 minutes.

MMM....it's smelling soooo good!  Now add your rice and stir until well combined.  You want your rice to be coated with all the other juices.  Then saute for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

While stirring the rice, slowly add the saffron infused chicken stock-continuing to stir.  Season again with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

After thirty minutes, remove lid, stir and nestle in your shrimp and clams into the rice mixture.

Cover and cook until shell fish is cooked through, about another 15 minutes.

Before serving, make sure to throw out any clams that did not open while cooking.  They are yucky!

Top with parsley and lemons.