About this Recipe

By: Rachel

Perhaps you, like me, are a reader—and were, as a child, unusually enchanted by the foods you read about in books.

I dearly wished for the raspberry cordial of Anne of Green Gables; bewitchingly ruby-red in an old-timey corked glass bottle hidden away in a farmhouse pantry. I wanted Ma’s vanity cakes from Little House on the Prairie, giant bubbles so light and airy they would simply melt on the tongue. How I wanted to try roast goose, red velvet cake, and Turkish delight (note that when I finally tried Turkish delight, aged 33, it was a bitter disappointment; roast goose remains a dream out of reach).

When mentioned in novels, paella—even the name sounded like music—almost seemed magical. It was cooked over an open flame in special, larger-than-life pans. It contained exotic ingredients like saffron, the threads of which had to be hand-picked from the Crocus sativus, yielding indescribable color and flavor. It was made with sunny-yellow Spanish olive oil, wine, Bomba rice, and an array of proteins I’d never seen before—giant prawns; mussels, shiny and black as obsidian in their shells; calamari, octopus, spicy chorizo sausage, and and all manner of vegetables. It was described as impossibly smoky, savory, and rich, with a crispy-crusted bottom.

Sadly, most of the proteins used in paella are off-limits for me (the pork-based chorizo as well as the shellfish), so I set off to create a vegetarian paella recipe that would be as complex and alluring in taste as the paellas of my novels, dreams, and imagination. This is the result. I do not claim this recipe to be truly authentic or Spanish; it is simply the way I have always done it. It has pleased many a vegan and vegetarian dinner guest as a filling main dish just as it is, though the addition of chickpeas would lend some protein if desired.

Note: Although paella can be used in a large skillet, it is helpful to use an authentic, carbon steel paella pan. It is also important to use a burner that is large enough to accommodate the pan that you choose—if it is too small, your paella will not cook evenly, and you will wind up with overcooked rice in some spots, and raw rice in others. Traditional paella is often cooked over a grill or open fire to accommodate the large pan it is served in. If you have no burner large enough, consider cooking your paella in a hot oven (better yet, a convection oven), which will ensure a more even distribution of heat than a small burner. I set my pan over three gas burners and rotate it periodically while cooking.

Vegetable Paella

This paella is richly flavored with sofrito, saffron, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and a rainbow of vegetables. You, too, can learn to make this iconic Spanish dish.

Print Recipe

Ready In 1 30

Meal Type Main Dish

Good For Spring, Summer

Servings 8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large leek, finely chopped
12 oz (340g) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
½ head cauliflower, chopped
1 bulb fennel, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ pound (225g) green beans
½ pound (225g) asparagus
1 medium onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup (120mL) dry white wine
1 pint (340g) cherry tomatoes, or 1 cup whole canned San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or 1 teaspoon hot paprika, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika)
½ teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce to ½ or ¼ teaspoon if you are sensitive to spice)
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups (450g) Bomba or Arborio rice
Very thinly-sliced lemon (rind included) from one small lemon, discarding any seeds
1 cup (170g) green peas
Approximately 6 cups (1 ½ liters) Simple, Flavorful, Umami Vegetable Stock; Rich, Delicious, and Worth It Chicken Stock; or any high-quality stock
2 thinly-sliced green onions
⅓ cup (20g) freshly chopped parsley

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

In a large skillet (not the pan in which you will make your paella), cook the vegetables. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat, and add the chopped leeks. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Increase heat to medium, and add the shiitake mushrooms, cooking for 2 minutes more. Now add the asparagus, cauliflower, fennel, red pepper, and green beans. Season with sea salt, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 2

In a saucepan, begin to heat the stock to a low simmer.

Step 3

Now make the sofrito. Coat a large paella pan with the vegetable oil, and heat the burner to medium-low. Add the onion, and sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute or two, then add the tomatoes and wine. Simmer until cooked down, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the paprika, saffron, cayenne, and salt. Cook for another 7-10 minutes.

Step 4

Add the rice, and cook it in the sofrito for 3-5 minutes. Spread the rice evenly over the surface of the pan. Now pour the simmering broth over the rice. You will add the vegetables later to avoid overcooking them.

Step 5

Simmer, uncovered, for around 25 minutes. Once the rice is mostly cooked, but still has a slight crunchy bite to it, layer on the cooked vegetables and the lemon. Cook for about 5 minutes more, until rice is cooked through, adding the peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking. To obtain a crust (soccarat) on the bottom of your paella, review the next step.

Step 6

Paella should not be creamy like a risotto, and needs to dry out fully on the bottom to create the desired crispy, brown crust at its base (the socarrat). To obtain a crust on the bottom of your pan, turn your burner up to medium-high heat during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. It helps to use an authentic paella pan, as its unique construction will help ensure a crispy bottom. Using canola oil, as directed, will also help, as it tolerates high heat better than olive oil. Paella aficionados listen carefully for a pleasant crackling sound in the last minutes of cooking, which indicates browning, but pay attention and remove the pan if you smell the rice burning.

Step 7

Once you are satisfied that your paella is done, garnish with scallions, parsley, and remaining olive oil, and serve hot.

Beverage Pairing

By: Olivia

The beauty of this vegetable paella is its adaptability to wine pairing. Only want to open up one bottle of wine? Open a dry Verdejo with its citrus and vegetal notes to both cook with and sip on. Feeling like you want a beverage with a bit more body? Consider purchasing a rosé or red wine that has Tempranillo or Garnacha. The depth and herbaceousness present in both grapes would be great next to the paella.