Recipe - Paella A La Basquaise

2 cup Raw longgrain rice
1 pound Fresh mussels
18 small Hardshell clams,
thoroughly rinsed &
scrubbed
2 pound Fresh halibut cut into
bitesize cubes
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
One half cup Olive oil
1 pound Fresh shrimp, peeled, with
tails left on
1 lg Onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon Finely minced garlic
1 Red pepper, finely cut or sliced up
4 lg Ripe tomatoes, peeled,
seeded and chopped
One fourth pound Proscuitto
2 small Hot dry chili peppers
One half teaspoon Saffron
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Basil
3 cup Hot chicken stock, up to
4 cup Stock
One half pound Finely cut or sliced up Chorizo
1 cup Shelled peas (blanched in
boiling water for 5 mins)

GARNISH
Pimiento strips
2 Lemons, quartered

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Wash the rice thoroughly under cold running
water and drain. Reserve. Wash both the mussels and clams thoroughly
until all sand has been removed. Do not soak them in cold water. Dry the
fish pieces thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat One fourth cup olive oil. When it is very hot add the fish
cubes and brown them on all sides. Remove them to a side dish and reserve.
To the fat remaining in the skillet add the shrimp and cook them over
medium heat until they turn bright pink. Season with salt and white pepper.
Remove the cooked shrimp to a side dish and reserve. Add 2 T olive oil to
the skillet. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper slices and cook until
the onions are very soft and lightly browned. Be sure not to burn the
mixture. Add the tomatoes and proscuitto, chilies and saffron. Season the
mixture with salt and pepper, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and cook,
stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan well, until most of the
tomato juice has evaporated. Add the rice and 3 One half cups of chicken stock.
Bring the mixture to a boil again and cook over medium heat until One half of
the broth is absorbed. Pour half the rice mixture into an earthenware
casserole. Make a layer of fish cubes and Chorizo and top with the
remaining rice. Cover the casserole and bake the rice for 25 minutes.
Uncover the casserole and fold the shrimp and peas lightly into the rice.
Cover again and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is
tender and all the broth has been absorbed. If the rice seems dry, yet
still too crisp, add the remaining chicken stock. Uncover the casserole and
bury the clams and mussels in the rice. Cover the casserole again and cook
for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the shells of both mussels and clams
have opened. Discard any mussels or clams that have not opened. Garnish
the paella with pimiento strips and lemon quarters. Serve directly from the
casserole.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini