Paella

Jessie and I "challenged" each other to make one of our fall favorite meals.  This was the recipe she sent to me and it was de-li-cious!  We all loved it.  It made a ton, which we enjoyed as leftovers and shared with neighbors.  Jessie's recipe is here, but I ended up halving the amount of meat and thought there was still plenty.


5 (4 ounce) links hot Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 chicken tenders or strips
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 large stalk celery, with leaves, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes, juice reserved
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Fry hot and mild Italian sausage pieces in the wok until brown on all sides. Remove sausage, and fry the chicken strips in the sausage drippings until browned. Remove chicken and saute onions, green pepper, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes, or until tender.



Stir in the uncooked rice, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, oregano and turmeric. Cook and stir for 1 minute, then mix in 1/2 cup of reserved tomato juice and chicken broth. Add chicken pieces, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.


Add sausage to the mixture, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the shrimp; cover and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through.