Vegetarian Paella
Yield: servings
Equipment
- 12” to 14” nonstick frying pan with lid
- 1 x 3-quart saucepan
- 1x medium-sized mixing bowl
- 8-10” chef’s knife
- 1x large cutting board
- Large wooden spoon
- Mandolin
- Spatula
Ingredients
Broth
- 2 cups prepared tomato juice
- 1 cup water
- 3 garlic cloves smashed
- ¼ bulb of fennel roughly chopped
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- Tarragon stems from the tarragon used in the core paella dish
Paella
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Spanish onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Roma tomato finely diced
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup sliced king oyster mushrooms
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ bulb of fennel sliced thin (reserve the tops)
- 1 pinch saffron
- ½ cup white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 tablespoons fresh Tarragon picked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1 cup Calrose rice
- ¼ cup fresh or frozen peas
- 2-3 tablespoons preserved lemon
- 1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted black olives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- ¼ cup marcona almonds or macadamias or cashews
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves picked and washed
- Reserved fennel tops
- 2 tbsp marjoram
- Olive Oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Begin by making the tomato stock by combining the prepared tomato juice, water, garlic, fennel, thyme and tarragon stems in a 2- quart saucepan. Stir the ingredients together and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid and return to the saucepan and place over low heat to keep warm.
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, fennel, sliced peppers, sliced king oyster mushrooms and garlic, and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Add the tomato, bay leaf, smoked paprika, and saffron. Stir to combine the ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and allow the liquid to cook off. Add the tarragon, parsley, and rice, salt and pepper, mixing to combine all the ingredients. Pour in the strained tomato broth, making sure to cover everything in the pan.
- Bring the pan to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and add your peas, preserved lemons, cherry tomatoes and black olives, cook for an additional 5-7 minutes then gently stir the final product together, check for salt and pepper.
- Mix the parsley leaves, fennel tops and marjoram together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Make a nest of herbs in the middle of the paella serving pan then scatter the marcona almonds across the entirety of the dish
Chef's Tips
Calrose rice and preserved lemons can be sourced at any Middle Eastern grocery store such as Mid-East on St Laurent or Cedar on Bank Street
Never stir the pan once you’ve added the rice. This will prevent the crispy crust from forming, which is called socarrat.
Marcona almonds can be found here at Chef’s Paradise
Never stir the pan once you’ve added the rice. This will prevent the crispy crust from forming, which is called socarrat.
Marcona almonds can be found here at Chef’s Paradise
