Shrimp paella

This is adapted from a recipe on myrecipes.com.

Ingredients

Broth:

3 cups water

1 teaspoon saffron threads

2 cups vegetable stock

Herb Blend:

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Paella:

16 unpeeled jumbo shrimp (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1 cup frozen green peas

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

To prepare broth, combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

To prepare herb blend, combine parsley and next 4 ingredients (parsley through 2 garlic cloves); set aside.

To prepare paella, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large paella pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saute 1 minute (the shrimp will not be cooked through but it should be turning white and pink and curling up).

Remove shrimp from pan, and keep warm. Add onion and bell pepper to pan, and saute 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, paprika, crushed red pepper, and 3 garlic cloves; cook 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, herb blend, and peas. Bring to a low boil, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If the liquid runs out before the rice is soft, just slowly add more vegetable stock.

Stir in the shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Remove from heat; cover with a towel and let stand 10 minutes.

Potato Latkes (Potato pancakes)

1 lb potatoes (about 4 small ones... but not tiny ones)
2 T. minced onion

1 egg
3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
pinch of nutmeg

1. Grate the potatoes and immediately immerse them in a bowl of cold water (otherwise they'll turn brown). Rinse the potatoes a few times to get all the oxidized juice out of them (aka brown liquid), and combine immediately with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Heat a skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom just until it bubbles when a drop of water hits it. You don't want the oil to be splattering everywhere, so don't get it much hotter than this point.
3. Shape pancakes in your hand. Place them in the pan and press them down to 1/4 inch thickness. Cook until the top starts to look a little dry, then flip. This will take a while (3-5 min for the first side) if you want it to cook the potato throughout.

This is a good quick meal. I eat them with ketchup and a side of applesauce. Enjoy!