< Previous270A NEW WAY TO FOOD1. Pour the stock into a medium pot and bring to a low simmer on a back burner on your range. Add the smoked paprika and saffron to the stock. Once it simmers, turn the heat to low and keep warm.2. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in large paella pan over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Sauté until the fennel begins to wilt and take on a little golden color. Add the tomatoes and continue to sauté until any liquid that came out of the tomatoes has evaporated. Add the rice and toss with the veg. Sauté the rice until it’s well coated and a little toasty.3. Pour 4½ cups of warm seafood stock into the pan and make sure all the rice is covered with stock. Stir a few times to bring it together and then don’t stir the rice again until the end of cooking. Let the rice slowly absorb the stock over the course of 25 minutes. 4. While the rice cooks, prepare the seafood.Mussels: The mussels should be cleaned with beards removed. Steam the mussels in ½ inch (1.3 cm) of water until opened. If you’re making a hands-free paella (meaning you won’t need to use your hands to remove shells while eating), remove the mussels from the shells, set aside, and discard the shells. Otherwise, keep the mussels in the shells and set aside. Strain the leftover mussel liquid through cheesecloth and add to the stock pot. Shrimp: The shrimp should be peeled (tails left intact) and deveined. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large paella pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pan, sprinkle with salt, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp, sprinkle with more salt, and cook just until the shrimp becomes mostly opaque, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the shrimp to a plate and set aside. White fish: The white fish should be skinless. Warm the remaining 2 table-spoons oil in a large paella pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the fish to the pan, sprinkle with salt, and cook until the bottom half of the fish SMOKY PAELLA with FennelThis is my ideal meal for a celebration or just a Saturday night. While someone else may want to cook an entire fish or roast something meaty to recognize a certain moment, I want shellfish in rice. In fact, after decades of a love/hate rela-tionship with rice, I’ve determined that this is one of the few ways in which rice can do no wrong: coated in a silky, smoky red stock and crammed in around mounds of shellfish and caramelized fennel. This recipe feeds four without leftovers. And since you’ll want leftovers for Paella Cakes (page 000), [[ms 346]] just make this for two and get those leftovers in your fridge. If you double the recipe to feed even more friends, make sure you have a very large paella pan. The rice swells up fast. Serves 4 FREQUENCY: Once per weekFOOD PREFERENCES: DF, GF, NF, RSFHANDS-ON TIME: 40 minutesTOTAL TIME: 40 minutes5 cups (1.2 L) seafood or veg stock½ teaspoon smoked paprika¼ teaspoon (pinch) saffron6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced, and fennel fronds, finely diced¾ teaspoon fine sea salt3 medium tomatoes, diced and drained, or 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, torn into small pieces, liquid reserved for another use1 cup arborio rice1 pound (454 g) mixed seafood (I use mussels, shrimp, ½-inch-thick (1.3 cm) white fish, and squid bodies)1 small handful fresh herbs (like cilantro or parsley), finely choppedFlaky sea salt, for seasoningNWTF_1stpages.indd 2707/17/18 11:55 AM271STAY WELL FOREVERsizzles and becomes mostly opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the fish, sprinkle with more salt, and cook just until the fish becomes mostly opaque, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the fish to a plate and set aside. Squid bodies: This is the only seafood that I cook in the paella. Slice the bod-ies into ½-inch rings. During the last 3 minutes of cooking the paella, tuck the squid rings across the dish. 5. At the 25-minute mark, taste the rice to assess its tenderness. If it still has a bite, add the last ½ cup of stock and let it cook for 10 minutes longer. Add in the reserved cooked seafood during the last 5 minutes of cooking and sprinkle ½ teaspoon fine sea salt over the entire dish. Add the squid during the last 3 minutes of cooking. When the rice is plump and lovely, turn the heat off. Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the fennel fronds, soft herbs, and flaky sea salt over the entire pan before serving. 6. If you plan to make paella cakes for a follow-up meal, make sure to remove any shells (like tails from the shrimp, shells from the mussels) before you pack it away in the fridge. This will make assembly of the cakes far quicker. NWTF_1stpages.indd 2717/17/18 11:55 AMWe hope youenjoyed this EYB Book PreviewThe complete book is available from all major booksellers. Or use the "Buy Book" button and help support EYB.Next >