TRIPLE DUTY PAELLA: for households with conflicting food demands

Triple-Duty Paella for Vegans/Vegetarians, Pescatorians & Carnivores 

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

original 8/4/15 

Looking for a knock-out dish that will satisfy vegans, carniovores AND pescatarians?  Without lumbering chef with multiple dishes?

Spanish Paella, a terrific tasty one-dish meal, solves all the problems associated with serving a household with conflicting food demands.  And it's lower-fat, too. 

The recipe was specifically developed by 67goingon50 to feed either meat and fish lovers or vegetarians/vegans.  Or all at the same time!                 

The dish is not complicated. The vegetarian base is easily prepared.  Divide as needed; and add tofu, nuts and/or pulses OR chicken, pork or lamb OR shellfish and white fish.    

Depending on how many are being fed, one recipe can be enough for both carnivores and vegetarians.  If there is a problem, it is that meat-lovers often want to eat both versions!  If you're serving a large crowd, doubling the recipe is recommended.

If the dish is for a normal family, there'll be plenty of leftovers for freezing or for packing up in lunchboxes.  

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. See Tips, below.

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 and keeps well -- a £4 container will be enough for this recipe and more.  A less expensive option is turmeric, but only in small quantities to colour the rice without overpowering it.  

To accompany -- Authentic Spanish Sangria. 

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

Ingred:

Base:1 1/2 cups rice - pref brown, 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 
(for base recipe; adjust quantities as necessary) 
     1 chicken in 16 pieces (neck and back removed for stock) or 8-12 small chicken thighs or 12-14 wings divided in two 
    12 cm chorizo or spicy lamb sausage (opt)
    prawns or mussels or white fish (a generous mugful is about right) (opt)

Seafood Paella (quantities for base recipe; adjust as necessary) 
    double the amount and variety of seafood

Vegetarian Paella (quantities for base recipe; adjust as necessary) 
     1 tin drained, rinsed chickpeas or 1 large mug reconstituted dry chickpeas 
     100 gm M&S artichoke, olive and sun blush antipasti OR 3 oz/85gm artichoke hearts OR
     113-175gm/4-6oz smoked or spiced tofu, organic if budget allows, in bite-size pieces

     1/3 avocado (opt)

Method:

AUTHENTIC SPANISH SANGRIA, alcoholic (very),low-sugar

Authentic Spanish sangria - a delicious, refreshing treat - should be on everyone's culinary 'bucket list', at least once.

The only Sangria more authentic is being served in Spain's posh hotels/restaurants 
'This tasted like real sangria; I had it in my back garden and could imagine myself in Spain,' middle-aged frequent visitor to the region 

Sangria, a irresistable blend of wine, fruit, liqueur and water, is almost a national drink in Southern Spain - a bit like our wine spritzers. Like that other Spanish stalwart, paella, there are as many varieties as there are regions.  It comes in red or white, frugal or not-so-frugal, simple with just wine, water and a little fruit, or complex with fine sugar syrups, the best vanilla pods and myriad seasonal berries.   

Today's recipe is the closest 67 has come to a Sangria served in a posh hotel in Malaga Spain.  It was proper, authentic sangria with multiple layers of fruit, fizz and alcohol.  So delicious, one glass wasn't enough; so lethal, the floor wobbled when dinner was over.  It has never been forgotten.  Most sangrias since have been refreshing and welcome but nonetheless a pale imitation of the first. 

The recipe, adapted from Spain Recipes, should carry a health warning -- it is alcoholic, very alcoholic.  Sangria hangovers can be awful.  It would be prudent to have plenty of ice or cold carbonated water available to add to the basic mix as the evening wears on. 

The key to great sangria is to make it the night before so the fruit has a chance to absorb flavours.  Serve ice-cold.

Cost: depends on the alcohol but probably from £6-7 upwards 


Party Sangria to

Ingred:
   1 bottle good Rioja, on the dry side (67 used Romeral, £11 from M&S, but there are plenty of other robust, cheaper versions available)
   one small glass/80 ml brandy
   one small glass/80 ml Cointreau or orange based liqueur
   juice of a large orange
   juice of a large lemon
   1-2 tablespoon sugar
   2 tsps vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla pod
   a cinnamon stick or 1 tsp dried cinnamon
   1 orange, halved vertically & thinly sliced
   1 lemon, halved vertically & thinly sliced
   1 lime, halved & thinly sliced
   2-3 med peaches in med chunks
   generous handful thickly sliced fragrant strawberries (or other berries) (opt)

   1 bottle carbonated water
       
Method:

1. Juice the orange and lemon into a large jug or bowl
2. Add sugar, vanilla & cinnamon; whisk to blend
3. Add Rioja, brandy & cointreau; stir
4. Add orange, lemon & lime slices
5. Add peaches
6. Leave overnight for flavours to blend
7. Just before serving, add strawberries and cold carbonated water; stir
8. Add ice to taste (opt)

Tip:
For a non-alcohol cocktail, try No-Alcohol Sangria or
                                               Pineapple, Grapefruit & Berry Smoothie

                                                          More drinks on NavBar: Recipes1/Drinks  

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

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.

VEGETARIAN PAELLA

LOW-FAT, LOW-SALT, LOW-CHOLESTEROL

This recipe was inspired by a brilliant book, published in 1979, called the Vegetarian Feast by American author Martha Shulman.  If you have the time, chickpeas cooked from dry are far superior to tinned.

For 4-6      

Cost:  £5.00 or more, depending on options

1 large mug brown rice washed

3 cups vegetable stock -- fresh, granules or cubes

1 large onion thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

3 peppers of mixed colours, seeded and sliced into narrow strips

2 tomatoes, halved, seeds removed and cut into small squares

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp saffron threads (the most expensive part of the dish), or try tumeric for a low budget version

1 bay leaf

1 tin chickpeas drained or 1 cup fresh (cooked from dry) 

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

100 gm artichoke, olive and caper salad (from M&S deli -Opt) or 1/2 cup sliced olives (Opt) and 3 ounces artichoke hearts (Opt)

1/4 cup almonds  (Marcona are best - Opt)
 

METHOD:

1. Saute onions, garlic and half the peppers (some in each colour) in olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan until onions are tender,

2. Add raw washed rice and stir until well coated

3. Add water/stock, salt, saffron and bay leaf.  If chickpeas are not tinned, add now.

4. Cook, uncovered and gently bubbling, over med high heat until water is nearly absorbed, (about 15 min.)  The surface of the rice should be pitted with small holes.

5. Add peas, tinned chick peas (if using) and tomato squares, pushing them gently into the rice without stirring too much.

6. Arrange the remaining pepper strips prettily on top.

7. Cover and, over medium-low heat, cook until all the water is absorbed. (up to 10 minutes)

8. Garnish with olives, artichoke hearts and almonds. (opt)

9. Serve with wedges of lemon

More rice dishes on NavBar/Recipes II:  Rice

Please leave a Comment in the box below

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