Vegetable Paella

Name: Vegetable Paella
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 unit tomato; 1 unit carrot; 1/2 unit red bell pepper; 2 cups rice; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 pinches salt; 1 pinch sweet paprika; 1 pinch saffron; 4 oz broccoli; 2 oz pea; 1 unit green bell pepper

ekilu Team

“You don’t need to go to Spain to enjoy a wonderful paella. It probably won’t be restaurant quality on your first attempt, but it should be easy to succeed with this vegetarian recipe. Give it a try!”

ingredients

Difficulty

High

Time

60'

Fresh ingredients

tomato

1 unit

carrot

1 unit

red bell pepper

1/2 unit

broccoli

4 oz

pea

2 oz

green bell pepper

1 unit

Pantry ingredients

rice

2 cups

garlic

4 cloves

olive oil

2 tbsp

salt

2 pinches

sweet paprika

1 pinch

saffron

1 pinch

Instructions

Start by halving the unpeeled garlic cloves. Fry in a skillet with olive oil until golden. Then remove and set aside. Cut the green bell pepper into strips and do the same, removing when colored.

Cut up the rest of the vegetables, except the tomato, which needs to be peeled and diced. Add the vegetables to the skillet, except the garlic and tomato. You need to remember that they don’t all need the same time to cook, so start with the firmer ones and finish with the ones that turn soft quickly.

Make a well in the center and add the paprika. Before it burns, add the tomato. Stir to mix everything well.

Add the rice to the skillet and stir, frying a little. Then add 4 glasses of water, a few saffron threads, and, optionally, a vegetable bouillon cube. Spread the contents evenly over the skillet and raise the heat to high until the liquid comes to a boil. Let boil for a couple of minutes and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Now return the garlic to the pan and let cook without stirring, making sure there is enough water at all times so that the rice cooks evenly. A few minutes before the rice finishes cooking, decorate the top of the paella with the green pepper strips. Let rest for a few minute, then serve!

Tips & Tricks

The rice will swell considerably in volume. Once it is cooked enough, you have to let it rest for a few minutes before eating it. Take it easy; those few minutes will be well worth the wait.

It is essential you don’t stir the paella once you’ve added the liquid. Otherwise, it won’t cook the way it should and won’t form the delicious socarrat, a deliciously caramelized layer that sticks to the bottom of the skillet or paella pan, which is one of the keys to its success.

If you want your paella to be very yellow, add a little food coloring. You can find it in supermarkets.

Besides the vegetables listed, you can add any you like.