Paella Vegetariana

By vvvanessa • November 25, 2009 • 1 Comments

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Author Notes: Paired with a salad or steamed veggies, this dish is one of my favorite light-but-satisfying meals. I prefer using short grain brown rice for its texture, but other types of rice are fine, too-- just subtract 1/2 cup of liquid if you're using white rice. There are all kinds of great additions that can be used with this recipe: artichoke hearts, green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, hearts of palm. And though it's not a traditionally Spanish touch, a hearty splash of vinegary pepper sauce (like Tabasco or Crystal) is a great way to add zing. - vvvanessa

Serves 4 as a main dish

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup short grain brown rice
6 saffron threads
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (one 15-ounce can, drained)
1/2 cup meaty green olives, pitted and halved (Spanish manzanillas or Italian cerignolas work well)
fresh, chopped parsely
lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large, oven-safe sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté bay leaf, onions, garlic, carrots, and celery until almost tender, about 7 minutes.
Add in red bell peppers and continue to cook until they begin to soften, about 4 more minutes.
Add the rice and saffron. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another couple of minutes to get the rice lightly toasted.
Mix tomato paste into water or stock. Add the combined liquids to the rice-vegetable base.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well.
Raise heat to high. Allow mixture to come to a boil for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Cover pan with an oven-safe lid or carefully cover with aluminum foil. Set pan in oven.
Cook for 40-50 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through but still slightly al dente, not mushy.
Remove pan from oven and carefully remove the cover. Gently stir in the peas, garbanzos, and olives. Return the pan to the oven uncovered for 5 minutes or just long enough for the peas, garbanzos, and olives to heat through.
Serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon.