PAELLA, CLASSIC AND VEGETARIAN, Double Duty, Vegetarian, Vegan

Double-Duty Paella for Carnivores AND Vegetarian

CLASSIC PAELLA: meat and fish 
This dish also transforms easily into a vegetarian/vegan option

 updated Mar 2018

The rising number of vegetarians and vegans can play havoc with menus.  This Paella, a terrific, tasty one-dish meal that brings a taste of Spain to an English summer evening, solves the problem.  This recipe was specially developed by 67goingon50 to feed either meat-lovers or vegetarians, or both at the same time!                 

It's not complicated and the results are brilliant.  Make the base first, add meat and fish OR vegetables and pulses. Depending on how many are being fed, one recipe divided, can be enough for both carnivores and vegetarians.  If there is one problem it is that meat-lovers want to eat both versions!

The recipe is lower in fat than normal. Use brown rice instead of white and it's a high-protein, rich-in-fibre winner in the health stakes!

The dish can be budget friendly.  In Spain some paellas have tiny amounts of meat and even smaller amounts of fish. This recipe aims to keep costs down but if you want to impress, go for lots of fresh shellfish.  

For seafood, a handful or two of frozen prawns or even chopped fish sticks are perfectly acceptable.  67 tried Iceland's frozen Seafood Selection (700g of mixed prawns, mussels and calamari for £5). They were wonderfully sweet and juicy and there's more than enough left over for several meals in the freezer.  Less expensive cooked, mixed supermarket shellfish are also ok.  

The chicken is in small pieces for easy distribution through the rice; cheap-as-chips wings are perfectly acceptable.     

The key ingredient, saffron, IS expensive (in fact one of the most expensive foods in the world) but nothing else has its delicate smokiness.  A little goes a long way -- a £4 container will be enough for this recipe and more.  Saffron keeps well in the larder.  If the budget doesn't run to Saffron, turmeric in small quantities will colour the rice without overpowering it.  

To accompany -- Authentic Spanish Sangria. 

Serves: 6-8 
Cost: around £7. less if shopping frugally.  

Ingred:

1 1/2 cups rice - not quick cook - well rinsed (see tips) 

2 peppers of different colours
1 onion diced
1 clove grated garlic 

3 cups/600 ml litre good stock (granules ok) incl 1 glass white wine or white grape juice  
1 tablespoon saffron

a small mug fresh/frozen peas 
1 large tomato, de-seeded and in medium dice

lemon wedges for garnish

Classic Paella 
(these amounts are for the base recipe of 1 1/2 cups rice. Adjust as necessary) 
1 chicken in 16 pieces (neck and back removed for stock) or 8-12 small chicken thighs or 12-14 wings, and cut in two 
12 cm chorizo or spicy lamb sausage (opt)
Seafood - prawns or mussels or white fish, to taste (a generous mugful of frozen seafood is about right)

Vegetarian Paella (these amounts are for the base recipe of 1 1/2 cups rice; adjust as necessary) 
1 tin drained, rinsed chickpeas or 1 large mug fresh chickpeas cooked from dry
100 gm M&S artichoke, olive and sun blush antipasti OR 3 oz/85gm artichoke hearts
2 ounces/55 gms flaked almonds


Method:

1. Wash rice thoroughly until it runs clear (5-7mins); place in a sieve over a large jug; pour boiling water over the rice: drain
2. Saute onions, half the peppers (some in each colour) in a thin layer of olive oil in a large heavy-bottom pan until onions are tender. (about 10 mins).  Stir in garlic.
3. If using chicken: remove skin; bake on a rack at 180c/ 350f/gas5 for 20-25 mins or nearly cooked through.  Save juices but remove fat. Cover chicken with foil to keep warm.
4. If using fresh shellfish, cook in boiling water until shells are open, shrimp are pink or fish tender.  Set aside stock and freeze for another occasion.  
5. Add raw washed rice to onion/pepper mix and stir till well coated.
6. Heat up stock/wine.  Add saffron and stir until liquid is deeply yellow.  Add to rice.  
7. Bring rice to a boil.  Turn heat down to med high; cook, uncovered and gently bubbling 15 min (white rice) 20-25 mins (brown rice). The surface of the rice should be pitted with small holes and the liquid nearly absorbed.
8. When the rice is cooked proceed as below for either classic or vegetarian option
9. If feeding both meat-eaters and vegetarians from the same recipe, divide rice accordingly and add meat and fish or veggie options in proportion to the amount of rice.

Classic Paella 

1. Mix rice, chicken and sausage if using, peas, tomatoes and the rest of the peppers. Spread out in a large flat pot.  
2. Cover; cook on top of the stove over low heat for 15 mins. 
3. Seafood: If using frozen, rinse; 10 minutes before the end of cooking, poke half way down into the rice. If using cooked, 2-3 mins before end of cooking, push seafood below surface of rice 

Vegetable Paella 

1. Stir peas, drained  chick peas, tomato and pepper into rice 
2. Cover; cook on top of stove over low heat for 15 min
3. Arrange artichoke salad or artichokes and almonds on top.  .

Serve with lots lemon wedges,  no-butter garlic bread , a big salad with optional lightly cooked veg like green beans, cauliflower and broccoli florets and a yoghurt & mint dressing.

Tips:

• See also Special Occasion Vegan Paella  
• Rinsing rice: if using brown,  place rice in a sieve over a biggish bowl; run cold water from the tap over it, making sure all the grains are wet.  If the grains aren't wet, they will float to the top and down your drain, making your plumber very, very cross.  Allow the water to run over the rice until it runs clear, say 5-7 minutes. Rinse twice with boiling water
• if using quick cook rice, cook for half of the producer's recommended cooking time before proceeding with the classical or vegetarian method. Cook only till heated through, say 5-7 mins.

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Copyright: This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.