Seafood Paella

By Jerseycat9



2 1/2 cups rice (Uncle Ben's works best)
5 cups water
1 lb shrimp, peeled,deveined
1/2 lb mussels, in their shells
1/2 lb clams, in their shells
1/2 lb squid, cleaned,and cut into rings
1 medium onion
2-3 very ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
saffron (I use 1 packet of ground)
1 double bouillon cube (Knorr is nice)
salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon wedges (for serving)

Clean all seafood under cold running water.
Chop vegetables.
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
Sautee vegetables.
When they begin to soften, add seafood, thyme and bay leaf, and cook thoroughly.
Add saffron, water, bullion cube and salt. Stir well and add rice.
Bring to a boil, and boil uncovered 5 minutes on high heat.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 more minutes. Do not lift cover during this time!
Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 more minutes, still without removing cover.
Now, you can finally lift the lid, and fluff the rice, remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Serve with crusty French bread, and lemon wedges.