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Learn about the Very Veggie Movement
Did you know paella means “frying pan” in Valencian? That’s right! Hailing from Valencia, Spain, paella is a savory, simmered rice dish. With a rich base of olive oil, we’re featuring zucchini, artichoke hearts, and red and green peppers, plus rosemary and lemon for a punch of flavor.
Ingredients
1 cup of Rice
2 cups of water
1 Red Cucumber
1 Green Cucumber
1 Zucchini
1 Carrot
2 Tomatoes
2 Artichokes
Paella Seasoning
Olive oil
Salt
Chickpeas
Green olives
1 Lemon
Fresh Rosemary
Directions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large wide flat-bottomed pan or paella pan.
- Cook vegetables stirring frequently until tender, about 15 minutes (Peppers, zucchini, carrot, heart artichokes and tomatoes). Add salt.
- Add 1 cup of rice. Gently move the vegetables around so the rice falls to the bottom of the pan as much as possible.
- Add Paella seasoning and stir it
- Add 2 cups of water and bring to a high boil. Do not stir the rice.
- After 10 minutes, scatter the peas and olives on top and add lemon slices and fresh rosemary.
- Keep boiling it for another 10 minutes with low heat. If liquids seem to boil off to quickly, add a little extra warm water.
- Once 20 minutes is up, turn off heat and cover for 5 minutes with a kitchen towel or other cover of choice. This will allow the rice to absorb any remaining liquid as well as steam the ingredients on the top.
- Once done, lightly fluff the rice and serve.
Tips
- Paella is traditionally cooked undercovered. Stick with short-grain rice. It should cook up al dente. If you turn the heat up at the end of cooking for a minute or two you’re on your way to an amazing “Socarrat”, a caramelized layer of lightly toasted rice at the bottom of the pan.
