Pot-Luck Paella
Paella is a culinary improvisation from Spain, with each recipe altered by the available ingredients. The underlying melody is a saucy combination of onions, peppers and tomatoes with a heady infusion of saffron, played out on a baseline of short-grain rice. But from there, the sky is the limit. Add smoky undertones of bacon or sausage and soaring riffs of lobster, shrimp, scallops, mussels or clams. Or, play it cool with tender chunks of chicken or even lamb. Peas and red-pepper strips provide the final flourish when the lid is lifted.

Ingredients:
1 dozen mussels
1 dozen littleneck clams
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio or other short-grain rice
5 cups clam juice, vegetable or chicken broth
1 pinch saffron
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon (or more) red-pepper flakes
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound dry sea scallops
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup roasted red-pepper strips
1/4 pound fire-roasted tomatoes, chopped

Directions:
Wash the mussels and remove the beards. Discard any that won’t stay closed. Wash the clams and allow to soak in salted water. Discard any that open. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion, carrot, fire-roasted tomatoes and green pepper until tender. Add the rice and stir until well-coated. Add 3 cups of the juice or broth, the saffron, garlic and parsley. Season with salt and red-pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Add the shrimp and scallops and the remaining broth. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove the cover and decorate the top with the peas, red-pepper strips, clams and mussels. Add more liquid ifit seems too dry. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels open.
Serves 6.

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