There are days when I want dinner to remind me of summer and at the moment it feels like we’re almost there with the glorious weather we’ve been having. Paella is perfect for this, it has a warm fragrant burst of flavours that sing of Spain, sun, and long lazy afternoons with friends.
My version is ideal for the moment when you might not be able to get to the shops and need to use the odds and ends in the cupboard. I’ve also made sure everything in this can be either frozen or shelf stable so you;re less reliant on leaving the house. This dish is warm, bright and easy – why not take it out in the garden and enjoy in the sun?
- Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 2 Onions*
- 1 Red Pepper**
- 1 Yellow Pepper**
- 3 Garlic Cloves*
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 150g Paella Rice
- 60ml Sherry (aprox)
- 1 tsp Saffron
- 500ml Vegetable Stock
- 200g Frozen Peas
- 8 Sundried Tomatoes
- 2 Artichoke Hearts***
- A Large Handful of Pitted Kalamata Olives
- Handful of chopped parsley
- Lemon Wedges (Optional)
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Directions
I like to start most of my cooking by doing my prep work and this recipe has less than most. Slice both your onions and peppers, so that both veg are cut into long strips. Crush your garlic cloves, roughly slice your tomatoes, dice the artichokes into bite size pieces (quarters work well here), and halve your olives either by roughly crushing them by hand or with a knife – both techniques work well.
Heat the oil in a wide pan on a low heat and gently fry your onion until soft. Add the peppers, cook until they just start to brown then add your garlic and cook until it just starts to smell fragrant which should take no more than a minute.
With the saffron to one side, add the rest of your spices and bay leaves to the veg and stir well. Then add your rice and combine well before adding your sherry and saffron to deglaze the pan. Boil down for a minute, then add the stock and a pinch of salt. Bring up to the boil then reduce the heat to the very minimum and simmer gently, uncovered and undisturbed, for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the tomatoes, artichokes and peas. Stir through well but gently, the residual heat should cook the peas but try not to break up the rice. Taste and season. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid** and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Scatter the olives on top of the paella and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
*All the items flagged here can be found frozen – normally with the prep work already done!
**If you’re using a bag of frozen peppers instead of fresh, this works well and a large handful should work
***You can get ‘shelf stable’ artichokes frozen (normally whole) or in jars in the Italian section – I tend to use the jars and the prep work is normally already done for you!
