Paella-Style Rice with Ham and Shrimp

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It's what the sunflowers do." Helen Keller

An unexpected photo op today driving up north from the cities was this expansive field of sunflowers facing the sun. It was a showstopping moment. 

Paella-Style Rice with Ham and Shrimp
Cook's Notes: Paella is a Spanish saffron rice dish originally from Valencia. Paella is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine with rice, sausage and vegetables. Ham stands in for sausage in this one skillet dinner inspired by traditional Spanish paella. The meal comes in under 400 calories. I used basmati rice but long grain white rice works too. It was a healthy dinner choice that was quite delicious perfect for a summer meal.  Recipe serves 3-4 and was adapted from Taste of Summer Midwest Living 2015.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces frozen cooked large shrimp
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mini sweet peppers, orange and red
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup thickly sliced celery
• ¾ cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup cubed cooked ham
• 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• ¼ teaspoon ground saffron or 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• Optional: garnish fresh parsley

Directions:

• Thaw shrimp, rinse and pat dry; set aside.
• Add oil to the skillet along with peppers, onions and celery. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice and garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and carefully stir in the broth, wine and ham. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Add more broth if rice is sticking to pan bottom.
• Add the snap peas; cook, uncovered, 2 minutes more. Stir in cooked shrimp, saffron or paprika and parsley. Cook 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Footnotes: This photo below was taken in Spain when I was dining out the paella way. 
Paella's name comes from the paellera, the flat, round pan in which it is cooked.

Saffron is one of key ingredients in this dish though paprika can be substituted.

DID YOU KNOW Saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world, retailing for more than $500 an ounce. It is so expensive because its an extremely labor-intensive crop. Crocus sativa, or the saffron crocus, flowers in the fall. Each flower has three tiny, threadlike stigmas in the center. Saffron from Iran is considered the best in the world. To order or learn more about this spice go to www.saffron.com

I have been hoarding this tiny, tiny tin of Saffron for just the right recipes. It's weight at 1 gram was $7.95 at the co-op in 2015 with an expiration date of 2021. The color is a rusty red. You only need a few threads for each recipe so your saffron tin will last a long time.