Paella Soup

Recipe Junkie's Note:

This is a recipe from a Sunset magazine from January 2000.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 red bell peppers (1 and 1/2 lbs total)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup cubed cooked ham (1/2 in) or 1 cup Canadian bacon (4 oz)
• Spanish rice mix (you will need 2 packages, 5 to 6 ounces each)
• 1 1/2 quarts fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron thread (optional)
• frozen peas (1 cup of the frozen, petite kind)

Directions:

1. Rinse, stem, seed and chop bell peppers.
2. In a 5-6 quart nonstick pan over high heat, stir 1 and 1/2 cups chopped red peppers with the oil and ham until peppers are limp, about five minutes.
3. Add rice, water (as specified on package) and seasoning packets.
4. Bring to a boil, cover reduce heat, and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 18 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. About 8 minutes before rice is done, in a 4 to 5 quart pan over high heat, bring broth and saffron to a boil.
6. Stir in shrimp, cover and return to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer until shrimp is opaque in center of thickest part (cut to test) about 5 minutes.
8. With a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a small bowl.
9. Return broth to a boil over high heat.
10. Stir peas into rice mixture and cook until they're hot, about 2 minutes.
11. Mound hot rice mixture equally in the center of 6 wide soup bowls, spoon shrimp around rice, sprinkle with remaining chopped red peppers, and ladle broth around rice.