Ingredients (serves 6)
- A dash of oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 vegan stock cubes
- 1 tsp turmeric (for the classic yellow colour. Saffron is expensive!)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 lemons
- 500g bomba/paella rice
- 1 can of artichoke halves, cut into halves
- Parsley (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Method
Heat the oil and add the onions to soften and slightly caramelise (10 mins). The best kind of pan is wide flat-based. Paella dishes would be ideal but we’re not all Spanish!
Add the garlic and peppers and sauté for another 5 mins.
Pour in the dry rice and stir to cover the grains in the juices and oil.
Meanwhile, boil 500ml of water and stir in the stock, turmeric, paprika, the rind and juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper. Pour the liquid into the pan until the stock cover the rice.
Add a lid and leave the pan on a medium heat for 30 mins, adding hot water when the pan overly tires out. Do not be tempted to stir the dish at any point after adding the stock! This is key to allow the rice to crisp up a little at the base and create a delightful caramelised layer of rice (called socorrat in Valencia).
The dish is done when the rice has soaked up all the water but still has a slightly firm texture.
Arrange the second lemon, cut into quarters or sixths, and the artichoke halves around top of the rice and sprinkle with parsley (optional).
Buen apetito! I recommend eating the paella with some fresh greens (peas, asparagus or green beans) or a salad, and a glass of white wine or course!
Recipe by Izzy
