Yields: 4-6 portions
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup zucchini, cut into 1” x 1” pieces
1 cup cremini mushrooms cut in quarters
1 cup cauliflower florets, cut in 1” x 1” pieces
3/4 cup green beans, cut in 1” pieces or frozen peas 1 cup cooked Gigante beans or other dried cooked bean (optional) 8 pc mini sweet peppers
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 pinches saffron (optional)
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup Spanish Bomba, or Calasparra rice (you can use another short-grain rice)
Sea salt and espelette pepper to taste
1/3 cup sofrito
Preparation
1. Heat olive oil in a 13-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add Cauliflower; brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally; add the peppers and cook for 1 minute; add zucchini, garlic, and saffron; (if using) cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomatoes and sofrito; cook for 1 minute.
2. Add rice and mix well.
3. Pour in white wine and turn heat to high and bring to a boil; let the wine reduce by 2/3, about 1 minute.
4. Add water or stock and bring to a boil. Add green beans and Gigante beans; stir until well combined.
5. Reduce heat to medium-high, season to taste. cook 4 minutes. Do not stir the rice again, as this can cause it to cook unevenly. After 4 minutes, reduce heat to low and cook for another 7-9 minutes. 6. Remove paella from heat; cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with spoonfuls of aioli Serves 4 to 6.
Notes:
It’s very important to monitor the heat at the end of the cooking process and move the paella pan around so the center of the rice does not burn. Move the pan side to side off-center to evenly brown the bottom of the rice. This is very important in developing the socarrat: the crusty crispy bottom that becomes caramelized and toasted on the bottom of the pan when it is cooking. This is the holy grail of a great paella.
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