PRIMARY COLOR FOOD

Excerpted from "Things Cooks Love" by Sur La Table with Marie Simmons, Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Paella, Spain's iconic dish of rice prepared with seafood, meats, poultry and/or vegetables, originated in Valencia, where the Moors first planted rice. It was the midday meal for farm labourers who cooked it over an open fire and used ingredients on hand: rice grown nearby, frogs, snails, wild rabbit and birds.

These days it is cooked on top of the stove or on a grill in a broad, shallow pan with slightly flared sides about two inches deep and two opposing looped handles attached to the rim.

The wide, low-slung design allows the rice to cook quickly over high heat. Paella pans come in a range of sizes, from the smallest, about 13 inches, good for six to eight servings, to extra-large, about 22 inches, big enough to feed a crowd.

Materials vary from the classic Spanish dimple-bottomed steel pan with red handles to handsome stainless steel¿lined copper and stainless-clad aluminium pans. Although paella pans traditionally have no lid, the stainless-clad aluminium model comes with one.

— On top of most stoves, even the smallest pan will span two burners.

— The rice is always simmered uncovered in the broth. Keep additional broth simmering in a saucepan and add more, as needed, to keep the rice moist.

— If you need to add more broth to the rice, do not stir it in. Instead, simply ladle it over the top.

— The only reason to cover paella is to keep it warm before serving or to cook shellfish that needs trapped moisture to cook properly. If you don't have a lid, use a sheet of extra-wide aluminium foil.

— When adding clams or mussels, push the hinged tips into the bubbling rice to encourage the mollusks to open toward the surface.

— A grill is a great way to cook paella, and most grills are large enough to accommodate a good-sized paella pan.

— For the best results, use Spanish rice, which will absorb more of the delicious juices.

— Allow the rice on the bottom of the pan to cook to a rich golden crust, a delicacy known as the "socorrat".

— For feeding a crowd, invest in a specially designed paella burner and adjustable tripod for holding a 22-inch paella pan.

Every paella begins with a "sofrito," a mixture of slowly cooked aromatic ingredients. Look for Spanish chorizo, which is cured, not fresh, and liberally seasoned with garlic and paprika.

CHICKEN, SHRIMP AND CHORIZO PAELLA

8 bone-in chicken thighs, or 1 large chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

18 large shrimp, peeled, with shells reserved, and deveined

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, bruised with knife, plus

2 teaspoons minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish

5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

½ cup chopped yellow onion

2 (three-ounce) chorizos, casings removed and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced tomatoes with the juices

1 ½ cups Spanish rice

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 large lemon, cut into six to eight wedges, for garnish

1. Generously sprinkle the chicken with salt and grind on some pepper. Place the chicken in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag.

Add the shrimp, two tablespoons of the olive oil, the bruised garlic and the chopped rosemary. Cover the bowl, or seal the bag, and refrigerate for two hours or up to overnight.

2. In a 2 ½- to 3-quart saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and cover to keep hot.

3. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring, for three minutes, or until they turn dark red.

Add one teaspoon of the minced garlic and cook for one minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.

Add the shrimp mixture to the chicken broth, bring to a simmer, re-cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Set a strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the broth. Discard the shells. Keep the broth warm over low heat.

4. Crush the saffron in a mortar with a pestle, or place in a small cup and crush with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a small bowl and add a ladleful of the simmering broth. Cover and let stand until ready to use.

5. When ready to cook the paella, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them on a plate.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a 12- to 14-inch paella pan (set over two burners, if necessary) or an extra-large skillet over medium heat until hot enough to sizzle the chicken.

Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for ten minutes, or until golden. Use tongs to turn the chicken and cook the other side for five to eight minutes, or until browned. Return the chicken to the plate.

6. Add the bell pepper, onion, chorizos and the remaining one teaspoon of minced garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, for five minutes, or until the vegetables are browned. Add the paprika and cook, stirring, for one minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for three minutes, or until the juices boil off and the tomato is dry. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for two minutes.

Sprinkle with one teaspoon of salt. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and pour four cups of it over the rice. Arrange the chicken around the outer edges of the pan.

7. Cook uncovered over medium heat, without stirring, for 15 minutes, or until most of the broth has been absorbed by the rice. Taste the rice and add more salt if needed.

8. Tuck the shrimp down into the partially cooked rice, concentrating them in the centre area of the pan. Ladle one cup of the simmering broth over the rice and cook for five minutes more.

As the rice cooks, it will continue to absorb the broth. Add more broth as needed, tasting the rice each time. It should be tender but firm. If you run out of broth before the rice is ready, use boiling water.

9. Sprinkle the peas on top and lay a piece of extra-wide aluminium foil over the paella for the last five minutes of cooking. Remove from the heat and let the paella stand covered for five to ten minutes before serving.

10. Garnish with the lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs.

Serves six to eight.