Shrimp Paella

So one evening i was entertaining (or torturing as he would put it) the Husband with all the crazy things fifi and i were upto when i was in B'glore.  So i happened to tell him about this time when both of us after dinner retired to her work room (which is also my room) well we went into the room swearing that we had LOADS of work and that we would probably be working through the night.  The next day being a Monday there was no way we could avoid doing this.  So fifi settles onto her comp and i open my laptop and casually tell her," dude we have to watch Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara"...as as many of our stories go...everything went downhill from there....watched the entire movie...discussed the movie....and fell asleep to that feeling of being SCROOOOOD!!!!!! Well for every such faffing story we also have a work together in companionable silence story....well will save that for another day.  So anyway the movie if you have not watched it is all about spain amongst other things and one of the protagonists makes paella in the movie...so that caught my fancy and ended up making it for din din that night.  So here goes....

Ingredients:

500 gms Shrimp
2 Slices of bacon cut into cubes (small cubes)
2 medium sized onions chopped
2 cloves od garlic
Pinch of Saffron( i made it once without it and it is fine if you do not have this handy)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (depending on the fierceness of your powder or your tatse)
1/4 tsp of nutmeg powder
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of rice
1 green,red or yellow pepper thinly cut into round slices (cut the top off and scoop out the seeds)
1 tomato cut into thin round slices
Lime to sqeeze
Parsley/Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste

Method:

This recipe should not be stirred around much and the pepper,tomato and shrimps needs to be set around the dish, so it is best to use a flat bottomed pan.

Heat oil in the pan and saute the garlic and bacon. Once the aroma rises and just before the garlic turns colour, add the onions and cook till golden brown (but not carmelized). Stir in the chilli powder, nutmeg,salt and saffron (optional).  Add rice to this and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken stock and wine, making sure the rice is nicely settled into the liquid.  Once this is done cover and cook for 15 minutes.  After this uncover the pan and set the peppers, tomato and shrimp around the dish. Squeeze lime over this and sprinkle the parsley.  Cover and cook again till rice has absorbed all the liquid and the shrimp is cooked through.

Bon Appetit Mimi.