Veggie Paella

I confess I’ve never been to Spain. It’s on my never-ending list of places to visit though. The only time I’ve tried paella was in London and in the US and I was never satisfied with the ridiculously high rice : vegetables ratio. So I decided to make my own, with loads of veggies, because otherwise I feel like I’m just eating flavoured rice.

It helps if you have a nice large flat pot/pan for this to maximise surface area, but with enough depth to hold all the delicious paella goodness. That’s partly what I love about this, it’s all in one pan so there’s minimal washing up – always a bonus!

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 500mL hot water
1 tsp saffron threads (or use turmeric if you don’t have any handy, it’s mainly for colour!)
1 onion, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g mushrooms (I prefer mini Portobellos), sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup rice (200g), bomba paella rice works best but I just use regular rice
1 tbsp paprika
150g green peas
Salt and pepper
Fresh flat leaf parsley

What to do:

• Chop and prepare your vegetables, dissolve your stock cube and the saffron in 500mL hot water
• Heat around 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan
• Sautee the onion for a few minutes until soft
• Add the peppers, garlic, and mushrooms, and stir for a few minutes until softening
• Add the tomatoes, rice, and paprika, stir to absorb the mushroom juices
• Add half the stock, then let the pot simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed
• Add the other half of the stock and the peas, and again let it simmer uncovered until the liquid is absorbed. Test the rice to see if it’s cooked (if not add more liquid), and taste to adjust the seasoning
• Turn off the heat, and cover the pot for another 5 minutes or so, then sprinkle the fresh parsley on top and serve