I love to make paella and the more varied the better. These are from left to right: chicken and chorizo with an earthy and smoky flavor, a mixed veggie and grilled salmon, and shrimp and scallops adorned with fresh parsley. Because I couldn't decide which to showcase, I put them all in one image to make an artistic triptych. The two outer ones were cooked in on the electric stove top with my trusty wok-ring adaptor. One day when I realized that my paella pan would not work well directly on an electric burner, I dug out the wok ring, rigged with criss-cross wires that I use with my wok, and pressed it into service, raising the paellera about 3 inches from the heat source so that it wouldn't cook too fast and burn. The invention has successfully served me over the years and makes cooking a paella a breeze.

The middle one was done on the grill and had an extra smokey taste because of the salmon which I smoke/roasted on the grill beforehand. The roasted salmon was cut into bit sized pieces and scattered across the top along with grilled broccoli and asparagus when the paella was 5 minutes from being done.

Each creation is different. The one with shrimp and scallops is a result of the seafood I had on hand at the time. Whatever the ingredients, the secret to a sensational paella lies in the stock. In order to be richly flavored and authentic, the stock must be perfectly executed. Otherwise, it will taste bland. Want to know the secret? Email me for recipe.

Making a paella is not as difficult as you may think, and the reward is in the flavor!

Individual images of each follow.