Early Summer Paella
Spice Profile: aleppo pepper, ancho & pasila chiles, annatto, bay leaf, cayenne, chipotle, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, saffron, sage, salt, smoked paprika, tarragon, thyme
Paella is a dish that can evolve with the seasons. It seems a bit daunting at first, but fear not! Once you get comfortable with this Spanish dish you will want to make it again and again! Many thanks to Paula for the spice.
Some things you’ll need to grab at the store: A short-grain or medium-grain rice, crushed tomatoes (optional), veggie sausage or Spanish Chorizo, (both optional again), and fresh lemon for garnish. This dish uses a bunch of of different parts of the veggie box and sure is delicious.
From the veggie box you will need: 2 garlic scapes, 4-5 radishes, a handful of peas, the thyme, paella spice (2 tsp), one red onion, greens from one beet, a few sprigs of cilantro, and half of a large head or one whole medium head broccoli.
Prepare the veggies: chop the garlic scapes & onion. Stem & de-vein the peas. Cube or halve the radishes. Halve the broccoli florets. Slice the greens off one beet, slice the leaves off the stems, and chop each separately (the stems take a bit longer to cook than the leaves).
If using veggie sausage, cook & slice. If using Spanish chorizo, just add during the saute.
Prepare a broth: Combine 4 cups of water and a few sprigs of thyme, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer to keep it hot.
Now the cooking part! Heat 2-ish TBS of olive oil in a large paella pan (if you’re lucky enough to have one), a large skillet, or dutch oven. Saute the chopped onion, garlic scapes, (and Spanish chorizo if using), for 3-ish minutes, just to get them warmed up. Add broccoli, radishes, peas, and beet green stems and saute 6-8 minutes more over medium heat, stirring often. Add veggie sausage, (if using), the beet green leaves, and Paella spice, saute 1-2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup (or so) crushed tomatoes, and 2 cups of rice. Saute 1-ish minutes more. Pour the 6 cups broth over all the rice and mixture. Stir just ONCE, or even better, not at all! This part is really important! Now let it cook on medium heat until all the liquid has evaporated and it’s (hopefully) started to brown a bit on the bottom. It should take around 25 minutes for the liquid to evaporate - you can check for browning. It’s an amazing feeling to get the crunchy, caramelized rice on the bottom just right - but this can take practice! When in doubt, go under, as long as the liquid is evaporated.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon slices - squeezing the lemon just before digging in - and salt to taste. This is truly one of my favorite dishes - and one of my favorite spices! Enjoy!
