About the Recipe
Paella is arguably the most famous dish of Spain and we can understand why! We hope you enjoy this mouthwatering veggie version of traditional Spanish paella.
Ingredients
Prepare all ingredients and set aside…
3 cups bomba rice (that is traditionally used for Paella)
6 cups good vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron
1 cup fresh fava beans, peeled, lightly poached in salted water or broth until their skins split
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed into 5-6 inch lengths, and lightly coated in olive oil and salt
2 fire-roasted red peppers, one cut into long decorative strips, and 1 diced finely
8-10 wedges of marinated artichoke hearts
Preparation
Step 1
Marinate the Tofu (optional)…
1 pound of tofu, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 T olive oil
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t salt
3 T smoked paprika (or sweet)
Fry tofu in olive oil until slightly brown on some sides, add all seasonings and toast on low heat for a minute or two.
Let marinade for up to a day at room temperature if possible.
Step 2
Sauté the Oyster Mushrooms…
1 pound oyster mushrooms, torn into pieces
2 T olive oil
1/2 t crushed garlic
1/2 t salt and pepper
Sauté oyster mushrooms slowly in a non-stick pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic until browned and flavorful on all sides. If not using tofu, add paprika and oregano to mushrooms instead of tofu.
Step 3
Make a Kick-Ass Sofrito…
1 cup onions, diced
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup green peppers, diced
1 T garlic, crushed
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 cups cubed or crushed tomatoes, bottled or fresh
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Step 4
Add dry bomba rice and stir into sofrito until rice is thoroughly hot and just starting to stick to bottom of pan (about 2 minutes).
Add hot saffron broth slowly to paella pan, allowing the broth to completely cover the rice. Add mushrooms and tofu and push them gently into rice and broth, without stirring. Shake pan to even out rice level and make sure the liquid just covers everything, adding more if necessary.
Cover paella pan with foil and allow to cook over a medium flame for about 10 minutes.
Remove foil and arrange red pepper strips, artichoke hearts, and asparagus spears decoratively on top of rice.
Sprinkle fava beans over top, cover again with foil and simmer slowly for another 10 minutes*, or until water is completely absorbed and rice is cooked al dente. Don’t be afraid to add a bit more broth if your paella is starting to get crispy on the bottom but is still not cooked on the top or sides.
* If your paella pan is much larger than your burner, place it on 2 lit burners for the last 10 minutes, and rotate every minute, so the sides of the pan also get cooked.
Stick a fork into the middle of the pan and try the rice to test if it’s done. The bottom should be sticking to the pan a little, and the top should be al dente, but not actually crunchy.
Take off heat, remove foil, and serve with lemon wedges. Buen Provecho!