Paella Roja

Instructions

Steam the mussels in a pan with about 1 inch of water, covered, for about 2 minutes. Keep checking about once a minute and lift out each mussel as it opens. Discard any that stay shut, and keep the cooking water.

Twist off and discard the empty half shells, then chill the mussels on their remaining half shells until the end. Quarter the onion and green bell pepper and put them in a large pot with the water, chicken wings, seafood mix or heads, garlic, bay leaves and the mussel water.

Boil the broth down to about half a gallon, pressing the solids against the bottom of the pot with a potato masher now and then to release their flavor. Strain it and discard the solids. The broth should taste strongly of seafood with a moderate chicken note.

Pour a pool of olive oil into the center of the paellera, about 2 inches from the edge on all sides, and heat it over a high flame. Scorch the red pepper strips briefly, then set them aside. Add ½ tablespoon salt and the chicken, and sauté until golden brown.

Stir in the minced garlic and brown it for 60 to 90 seconds without letting it burn. Add the tomatoes, paprika, onion and diced red pepper, and sauté until everything is tender, which gives you the sofrito.

Pour in 960 milliliters (4 cups) of broth with the food coloring and another ½ tablespoon salt. Bring to a rolling boil, then lower the heat and simmer about 2 minutes. Taste it, as is the custom in Spain, and it should be only lightly salted.

Add the rice, stir well, return to a rolling boil, then settle to a moderate simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking. After about 20 minutes begin tasting the rice and lower the heat a little. Taste every 10 minutes, lowering the heat slightly each time, until the center is just underdone, which can take 30 minutes to an hour.

Scatter the squid, shrimp, scallops and beans over the top and cover them with rice. Simmer 10 minutes without stirring. It is ready when the rice is slightly firm, the paella is moist but not soupy, and a layer of toasted rice has formed on the bottom.

Take the pan off the heat, cover it with a clean white towel and rest it for 5 minutes. If the mussels are very cold, microwave them for no more than 30 seconds.

Uncover the paella, set the mussels around the edge with their rounded sides down and press them into the rice. Lay the scorched pepper strips over the top like spokes of a wheel and serve.