Paella

I describe the making of this dish in my second novel. But, simply put: I hydrated some strands of Persian saffron in chicken stock while sauteeing salt cured anchovy with Meyer lemon zest in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Into that I added some dry arborio rice (which had been in a jar with a black truffle, absorbing its essence), let the dry rice saute, then added a little stock, stirring all the while. I gradually added shallots, red bell pepper, green beans, Spanish chorizo, mussels, garlic and peeled shrimp. And some smoked paprika.

I put the seafood and garlic in at the last minute so it wouldn't overcook, naturally. Also added a pinch of sea salt to taste.

Used a bit of bread to sop up the remaining sauce.