On a trip to Spain a few years ago, we watched as a Chef cooked a seafood Paella in a very large pan, large enough to feed everyone in the restaurant, about 40 people.
Full of enthusiasm, we bought a Paella dish on our return. It will feed about eight people. The only trouble is, it will not fit on our hob, so we have to use it on the barbecue, which is a bit of a pain when it rains.

Anyway, here is our version, using Pork, Chicken and Seafood.

FOR THE PAELLA

14 oz (400 g) Arborio Rice
14 oz (400 g) Onions Chopped
1 Heaped Tablespoon Garlic Chopped
1 Lb (450 g) Fresh Cockles
1 Lb (450 g) Mussels
3 1/2 oz (100 g) Chicken Breast, Cubed
3 1/2 oz (100 g) Pork
1/2 Lb (225 g) Peeled Prawns
1/2 Lb (225 g)  Prawns, Unshelled
1/4 Lb (110 g) Cod Fillet Cubed
3 Heaped Tablespoons of Flat Leaf Parsley
2 Teaspoons Paprika
A Good pinch of Saffron
1 Lemon
Olive Oil
2 Wine Glasses of Dry White Wine
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Pints (1.2 Litres) Fish Stock

FOR THE FISH STOCK

1 Medium Sized Potato, Roughly Chopped
1 Carrot Roughly Chopped
1 Leek Sliced White Part Only
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Medium Sized Onion Roughly Chopped
1 Stick of Celery Roughly Chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 Small Bunch of Parsley
12 Black peppercorns
5 fl oz (150 ml) Dry White Wine
2 Pints (300 ml) Water
Fish Skin and Trimmings
A Few Prawns, Unshelled

PAELLA

Chop everything first. Once you start cooking the rice, it will require your constant attention. Have the fish stock ready and gently simmering in a pan. Adding cold stock would slow down the cooking process. The recipe for fish stock follows at the end.

The Meat and Fish should be chopped into bite sized pieces.

Wash the mussels in plenty of cold water, scrape off any barnacles and pull off the 'beards'. Discard any mussels which are open and refuse to close when rapped with the edge of your knife. Put the clean mussels in a large pan with half the  white wine over quite a high heat, and put a lid on the pan. When all the mussels have opened, Strain off the liquid and reserve the mussels, discarding any which have refused to open.

Wash the Cockles  in plenty of cold water , and discard any which are open and refuse to close when rapped with the edge of your knife. Cook the same as for the Mussels and reserve both the cockles and the liquid.

Heat the paella pan on a fairly high heat and then add a generous amount of olive oil. Heating the pan before adding the oil helps to stop the meat sticking to it. Add the Pork and fry for a few minutes until sealed. Take the pork out of the pan and keep to one side. Now do the same with the chicken.

Now put the chopped onions in the pan, followed by the garlic after a couple of minutes, and sweat them down, which should take about 10 to 15 minutes. We need them soft and translucent. Now add the rice, and stir to make sure it is well coated with the oil. Keep stirring for a minute or two and then add the paprika.

Add about 3/4 pint of fish stock, the reserved liquor from the cockles and the mussels and the pinch of saffron. If you have a timer, set it for 10 minutes at this point. Keep an eye on the rice, stirring from time to time and adding more stock when you think it is getting too dry. We don't want the rice to stick to the pan. Not yet anyway.

After 10 minutes, add the cooked pork and chicken. The paella will now need your full attention. Set your timer for 5 minutes and keep stirring and adding stock when needed.

After 5 minutes add the unshelled prawns, set the timer for another 5 minutes, keep stirring and adding stock when needed.

Nearly there now. Add the reserved mussels and cockles, the shelled prawns and the cod. Give it all a final stir and leave on the heat for a final five minutes without stirring. This time, we do want the rice to stick to the pan. If it happens, the bottom of the paella becomes golden and crunchy, we think it is the best bit.

Take the pan off the heat. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the paella. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

FISH STOCK

You do not have to be exact about quantities here, use what is at hand. Roughly chop everything and put in a pan with the water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the wine, bring back to the boil briefly to drive off the alcohol.

Strain off the vegetables and throw them away. Add the fish skin and trimmings and the unshelled prawns to the liquid and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Strain off the fish and transfer the liquid to a clean pan.