My trip to Spain introduced me to different flavors and foods. I enjoyed eating the patatas bravas (I tried several restaurants) and the paella. It made me want to go back through my culinary school recipes and see if that paella recipe that I learned how to make during the week that we explored Spain, culinarily speaking, was as good as I remembered it. And how the paella in Spain compared.
I can humbly say, my paella is better. The patatas bravas in Spain were better than mine, but my sauce still wins the gold star over the different sauces I tried in Spain.
Happy cooking.
The Best Vegetable Paella:
You will need:
.5 tsp saffron threads
12 oz jar quartered artichoke hearts in brine *
2.25 cups veggie stock
2 tbsp EVOO
2 cups small-diced onion
1 cup small diced red bell pepper
1 cup large-diced tomatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1.5 cups arborio rice **
8 oz trimmed asparagus spears *
5 oz frozen peas *
salt and pepper to taste
.5 cup sliced green onions
You will do:
Add the artichoke brine and veggie stock to a small sauce pot and BTB. Turn off the heat and then add saffron threads and keep warm.
Add the EVOO to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the onions and sweat until translucent and soft.
Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and dried thyme and season to taste. Sauté until the peppers are tender and the tomatoes release some liquid.
Add the rice and stir to combine.
Gently pour the saffron stock over the mixture and tap (do not stir) the mixture to combine.
Bring to a boil then reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes or until rice is almost tender.
Add artichoke hearts, asparagus, and frozen peas. Cook for another 5 minutes until rice and veggies are tender.
Let the paella crisp a little at the bottom (that is called “soccarat” and adds a bit of a crisp to the dish) and then serve garnished with green onions.
* You don’t have to use these exact vegetables. One thing about paella, much like a veggie stir fry, it is an excellent way to get rid of random, partially filled, bags of veggies in your freezer. So, switch out the veggies in the recipe and use what you want.
**I didn’t realize I accidentally bought basmati instead of arborio, but it worked out very well. So, feel free to use any short-grain rice that you have.
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