Paella Bella

Despite all the ingredients that go into this dish, paella can be relatively simple to prepare. Adding the seafood at the right times ensures that it doesn’t become rubbery. The final product is a lively cacophony of flavors and textures. Delicious any time of year, there is a certain enjoyment that comes with serving paella at a sunset dinner in the summer alongside a glass of pilsner. When purchasing the pimentos, clams, and peas, opt for fresh if possible, but canned, frozen, or jarred are acceptable alternatives.

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Spanish onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

11/2 pounds boneless chicken, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound pork, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound crabmeat

1/2 pound grouper

1/2 pound lobster meat

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup tomato sauce

6 ounces pimentos

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon saffron

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 bay leaves

2 cups dry white wine

2 (12-ounce) bottles Trumer Pils, or similar pilsner beer

11/2 cups Valencia rice

11/2 cups water

1 cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen

2 pounds steamed clams (see box)

1 pound cooked crab claws

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken and pork to the dish and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 8 minutes. Addthe crabmeat, grouper, lobster, and shrimp, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the seafood is lightly golden, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the tomato sauce. Finely chop 1/4 cup of the pimentos and add them to the skillet. Add the salt, saffron, black pepper, cumin, bay leaves, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the beer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove the seafood with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

4. Add the rice and water and mix well to combine. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is done, approximately 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Stir in the peas, reserved seafood, clam meat, and crab claws. Heat through. Chop the remaining pimentos and scatter them over the paella before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Excerpted from The American Craft Beer Cookbook © John Holl used with permission from Storey Publishing