Lean times call for lean measures. I don’t want the Foodie Police on my case, but those that know me know that I am an improvisational cook for the most part. I think I know my food due to my voracious reading and self teaching . In a perfect worlds I have an disposable income to play and create. In lean times I still want good quality food but may not have all the key ingredients. I don’t want to burn unnecessary gas just because I have a craving either.Looking at my fridge and not planning to supplement until later on this week I saw I have some squid defrosting( I had used half of it for a recipe test for Jadens cookbook), some English peas,a jar of saffron I picked up a while back, 1 leek,garlic, a can of stewing tomatoes, and some long grain rice( not Bomba ,Calasparra,Carnaroli, or Abroio rice). Ask me how I know these rices to use in Spanish rice dishes. Another prize I won and mentioned Spain And the World Table by the Culinary Institute of America. Certain Someone hates squid and he has been working and arriving home very late on a project. So This holiday weekend is a blessed solitary I relish. I need to catch up to me. So I said why not Paella for dinner. Looking at a few recipes for rice dishes and seafood I created this.It may not be authentic due to the rice used , pan, and lacking chicken and sausage, but it sure tasted good and will yield me leftovers for the next day or so. Plus aren’t there many types of Paella?I’m not feeling burgers and hot dogs this weekend.Is that unpatriotic?

I’m not giving a recipe because I just kind of winged it , but here’s what I did. In a large sauce pan I heated a few generous tablespoons of olive oil. I added minced garlic to it and a big pinch of saffron. The I added the cleaned leek slices and peas. Constantly stirring. Then the squid rings and tentacles. Sea salt , pepper, a sprig of rosemary from out back, sweet paprika and chopped parsley. Stirring more and more. Then the rice . I kind of toasted it with all the vegetables and spices before adding a few cups of water and the tomatoes ) about 4 of them). I slowly cooked this letting the squid form its broth and stirring occasionally and turning the pan. I added more water occasionally if I felt it was drying out.About a good 30 – 40 minutes later all the liquid had evaporated and I looked to have a mighty nice dish.All instinct with a little research.