Paella Valenciana

This is a really amazing dish - and not that difficult - it just takes time. Do it - it transforms your like - honest. The key is to use the right rice and do NOT, I repeat, do NOT cover it while it cooks. This is the cardinal sin and it will be claggy and miserbale effort if you do. This is a recipe taught me by my lo9vely freind Esther from Madrid. She can cook like no one else and she really understands fish and seafood.

• 500g fish trimmings (heads, skin, bones etc.)
• olive oil
• 500g prauns (largish) with shells on
• 500 g squid, cleaned and chopped
• 1 large ripw red pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• large pinch saffron
• teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 500g mixed fish (white and blue) cut inot pieces
• 500g mussles or clams or mixture, cleaned and de-bearded (see below)
• 500g arborio (or similar) rice. Don't use long grain!!! Any kind of risotto rice is good
• 500g frozen peas
• Lemon slices

If you have never cleaned mussels or clams before, ask your fishmonger to do it for you or simply just scrub each shell and pull out the little beard from each one. Put the clams or mussels in large bowl of clean cold water and put to one side.
Bring a large pan of water to to the boil. Add the fish trimmings (wahsed) and boil for circa 20 minutes to make the fish stock.
While the trimmings are boiling, take the shells off the prauns. Heat up a large frying pan or paellera (should be about 30cm diameter and not too deep), and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the praun shells to the oil and cook gently for about five minutes to flavour the oil. Remove the shells and add to the cooking fish stock.
Add the red pepper to the flavoured oil, chopped finely, and cook until tender.
Add the squid to the oil and cook gently for a further 5 minutes or until the squid are cooked.
Cut each tomato in half and then rub the cut side of each half against a grater over a bowl until you reach the skin. Discard the skin, and then add the liquid pulp to the pan to join the pepper and squid.
Add the saffron and the paprika.
Stir all this together and cook for a few more minutes or until the mixture is not too liquid.
Add the rice to the mixture and stir thoroughly, making sure the rice grains are coated thoroughly.
Add about a litre of the fish stock (still hot) to the pan and stir throrughly.
Now add the fish pieces.
Add salt - make sure you add plenty - at least 4 teaspoons heaped
Now add the clams or mussels, dotted about the pan standing upright in the pan.
Add the peas sprinkeld evenly.
Now turn up the heat a little and leave the paella for about 20 minutes. DO NOT COVER.
Check the rice is cooked and then take off the heat and cover. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Serve with slices of lemon.