Simple Paella recipe: a family favorite

I have rarely shared any recipes on this blog and part of me want to keep this one a secret because it is so good! :) It is definitely one of my top 3 home cooked meal and it appears often in our dinner rotation.... Bonus factor it is all done in one pan! Here's my simple version of the paella:

Ingredients:

3.5 to 4 cups chicken broth

5 oz or a good handful of small cherry tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium-size onion, minced

1 tablespoon of minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon of tomato paste (I use this kind)

1 large pinch of saffron

2 teaspoon of smoked or sweet paprika

2 cups of short-grain white rice

10 oz. large shrimp, cleaned, tail off

3 precooked andouille sausages, sliced (I use this kind)

1/ Heat oven to 450º. Put tomatoes in a bowl, sprinkle with a good amount of salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss gently to coat. Set aside

2/ Put remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, saffron and paprika, and cook 1 minute more. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is shiny, another minute or two. In the meantime, warm up your chicken stock in the microwave.

3/Remove pan from heat and carefully add 3.5 cups of warm stock. Stir in shrimp and sliced sausages.

4/ Put tomatoes on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in the bowl. Transfer pan to a 450º oven and bake, undisturbed for 20 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If not, return pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If rice looks too dry at some point but isn't quite tender yet, add a small amount of broth. When rice is ready, turn off oven and let it sit for 5 or so minutes.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this! 

(Adapted from an ancient Family Circle magazine recipe)