Author Notes
If you 're familiar with Paella ,you know it is typically a blend of seafood, chicken, sausage, white rice and safron. But I, for one, am not a big fan of Mussels or Oysters, nor greasy Sausage & White Rice . So in the spirit of Spain & The Mediterranean , I've blended together Paella's most sacred "Safron" ( Crocus Sativa ) - being harvested now (Oct) in Spain & Greece with Spanish Green Olives & Pimentos, Fire Roasted Red Peppers, Capers, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Onions, Hearts of Palm and Artichokes plus the Exotic Queen of Mushrooms -Her Lady "Shitake" whom I've married to the Exalted King of Rices-" Bhutan" ( Burgandy colored with a rich aromatic flavor, & slighly chewy). With just a touch of Spanish sea salt ,herbs and spices, cooked to perfection you'll have your guests begging for more. Optional to add asparagus and/or Jumbo Shrimp if desired. - micki barzilay —micki barzilay
Test Kitchen Notes
With its nods to both Spanish and Italian cuisine, micki barzilay's riff on vegetarian-style paella contains some lovely vibrant flavors. I especially liked how she infuses robust flavor into the rice with generous amounts of mostly pantry ingredients; dried oregano, garlic, onions, and saffron (although next time, I might up the saffron so its flavor shines through more prominently) yet the vegetables themselves taste clean and bright. I added just 1/2 tablespoon of salt since the olives, capers, artichokes, and hearts of palm all had added salt. I would especially recommend adding the optional shrimp as it adds another layer of plump, juicy flavor to the paella. – cookinginvictoria —The Editors
Ingredients
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4 cups
Bhutan Red Rice
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1/2 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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4 ounces
Butter ( organic preferred)
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4 cups
water
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2
sweet yellow onions
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1 bulb
garlic ( finely diced)
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12 ounces
green olives stuffed with pimentos ( Spanish preferred)
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2 ounces
capers
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8-10 ounces
fire roasted red peppers ( cut and sliced)
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10-12 ounces
artichoke hearts ( drained)
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10-12 ounces
hearts of palm
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2 cups
green peas ( shelled)
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1 pound
shitake mushrooms ( sliced)
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10
threads of Safron
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1 tablespoon
oregano
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1 tablespoon
Spanish or Greek course salt
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1 teaspoon
white pepper
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12 -optional
Jumbo Shrimp ( cooked, shelled, deveined)-Optional
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8-10 stalks
asparagus- cut into bite size pieces ( optional)
Directions
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Place Olive Oil into your Paella Pan or Large Skillet and add finely diced garlic & onions, Brown slightly and add the Bhutan Rice and continue to brown for a few more minutes on low heat. Add water ,salt, white pepper, oregano & saffron, turning up heat to medium, Cover & allow rice , herbs & spices & the liquid cook for 15-20 min. then add the olives & pimentos ,roasted peppers, capers, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts (optional asparagus and shrimp). Continue to cook till rice is done -(soft but still chewy). Add butter & shitakes & cook till mushrooms are soft. Serve hot directly out of the pan to your guests.
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