Paella

You may have wonderful memories of eating Paella on holiday and thought that it’s far too complicated to cook at home… here is my simple version that has developed over cooking it lots of times that’s super tasty, uses lots of veggies and works well swapping ingredients to whatever you like or may have at home.

See this simply as a one pan full of deliciousness that just happens to look and taste amazing too.

What you will need: Serves 6

I bag of Paella Rice approx 500g

I pepper

2 onions red or white

5 cloves of garlic

2 litres of veg stock

2 large pinches of saffron

3 tsp of smoked paprika

5/6 Tomatoes (a can of tinned tomatoes or a handful of sun-dried tomatoes would work great too)

1 can of Cannellini beans rinsed and drained (butterbeans or chickpeas are good too)

2 handfuls of Tender-stem Broccoli/ broccoli

Optional spicy plantbased sausage

1 large cup of frozen peas

2 lemons

salt

pepper

Alternatives veggies & beans that would work well:

Aubergine chopped and pan fried, also great for laying on the top.

Courgette

Sweetcorn

Green beans

Capers

Olives

Butterbeans

Chickpeas

Sun-dried tomatoes

Let's cook:

You will need a large shallow pan approx 12-14 inches (If you have a paella pan great, but it’s not essential), a pestle & mortar (or the end of a rolling pin and solid bowl) Some greaseproof paper or foil to cover the pan and a damp tea towel.

First things first… prep all your ingredients and veggies based on how they are detailed in the ingredients list. Pop them all in bowls or a large plate or board. This way you have everything ready and it’s simply adding it together.

1. Pop your pan on a medium heat and pour in a generous glug (about 2 tablespoons) of olive oil add your onions and garlic to the pan, stirring regularly until they soften.

2. In the same pan add meatless sausage** or Aubergine, allow these to cook until browned and the gorgeous oils and flavours are in the pan.

3. Add the paprika, salt and a good grind of black pepper.

4. Stir together, mixing the spices into your onions and garlic.

5. Add your saffron to your veggie stock and let this sit for a few minutes.

6. Add your tomatoes and peppers, again allow these to soften and the tomatoes to break down and become gooey and jammy.

7. Time to add in the rest of your veggies & beans! Add the chopped broccoli stalks, peas*, cannellini beans and the saffron & veggie stock ( you may need more as your rice cooks) Gently mix together and have a taste of the juice. This should taste super WOW and intense but it will mellow once it absorbed into rice. If it need more seasoning add this now.

8. Slowly sprinkle your rice evenly over the pan, covering everything to the edges. DO NOT STIR!

9. Add any veggies you like to the top***; scatter over the broccoli ( green beans or asparagus) and tuck in the lemon wedges on top.

10. Now cover the pan with greaseproof or foil and top with a damp tea towel.

11. Allow this to gently cook and let the magic happen - This should take 20-30mins depending on your hob and the size of the paella you are cooking. You may need to move your pan every now and then so the heat is evenly distributed with using a larger pan.

12. Check the rice on the edges of the pan, you want it to sticky and slightly crispy. This gives it that delicious taste.

13. Time for the reveal. Simply check that it’s cooked by having a cheeky taste at the edge and proudly take it to the centre of the table.

A one pot dish on another level, vibrant, tasty, impressive and packed full of the good stuff - ENJOY

*Other veggies you may want to add - Courgette, sweetcorn, green beans / ** Sausage can be replaced with Aubergine. Cook the same by chopped into cubes and frying off until crispy and golden before setting aside for later / *** You can use crispy or charred aubergine / roasted pepper slices / asparagus/