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Paella is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine and for good reason too, it's bloody beautiful. Traditionally you would expect either rabbit, chicken, snails or a range of sea creatures to be served with the paella. However, we make it with broccoli, so be under no illusion that this is a typical Paella.
Paella was originally a Valencian farmer's food, easy to cook in one big pan and shared within a family or group of laborers. The best rice for paella is called Bomba rice. It's short-grained and absorbs flavor without going soft as quickly as normal rice. Traditional paella pans are very large with a flat bottom, as they are meant for cooking over an open fire. If you don't have space for such a pan, the important thing to remember is that the pan you choose should be flat, large, and heat evenly.
Lastly and this is important, don't stir the pot once the stock is in!!! This is for two good reasons. Firstly, the paella forms a crisp underlayer of rice, called the socarrat. It's delicious and my favorite part of the dish. The other reason is to keep the correct consistency of the rice, this is why it is important to use the correct rice as the better rice won't go mushy quickly and allow the dish to keep its dry satisfying bite.
Your broccoli-filled rebellion awaits. Let's commit some delicious blasphemy! 🥘🔥🌱
Ingredients
Aromatics & Vegetables
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 chilies
- 1 large tomato (120g~)
- 150g green beans
- 1 pack tender-stem broccoli (8-12 stems)
Protein & Texture
- 1 tin hearts of palm
- 1 tin butter beans (200g~ drained weight)
Rice & Stock
- 280g paella rice (Bomba rice if possible)
- 1 liter vegetable stock
Spice Mix & Finishing
- Generous pinch of saffron
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Black pepper to taste
- 1-2 lemons (non-negotiable!)
Method
- Place the saffron in a dry pan and toast for 1 minute, put in pestle and mortar with a generous pinch of salt and grind together.
- Add paprika, turmeric and black pepper to mortar with the saffron.
- Fry onions, bell pepper and garlic together, cook until softened.
- Add chilies and tomatoes to pan, cook until the tomatoes go mushy.
- Stir in saffron mixture for up to one minute.
- Add stock to pan, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium.
- Stir in green beans, butter beans and hearts of palm.
- Taste liquid - it should taste a little too salty.
- Sprinkle rice evenly over pan, do not stir from this point onwards. Heat to a fast simmer.
- Simmer for 5 mins without stirring.
- Put broccoli florets on top.
- Cook without stirring for 10 mins.
- Test rice. Add more stock if necessary. If not, continue to cook until rice is ready or until the liquid mostly boils off.
- Take off heat, cover with a tea towel and leave for 10 mins.
Serving
After resting, remove the tea towel and marvel at the beauty of the dish that you've created. Make sure to evenly distribute the broccoli first followed by the rice if plating. (Traditionally this dish was eaten straight out of the pan by everyone involved, but like Joey, Brad doesn't share food, so we plate it). Finally, add lemon juice and wedge on the side (the more lemon the better. Don't skip this part as it's non-negotiable. You're just gonna have to trust me on this). Enjoy 🙂
Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
| Nutrient | Amount | % of Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 620 kcal | 34% |
| Protein | 18g | 36% |
| Carbohydrates | 110g | 42% |
| Fat | 11g | 16% |
| Fibre | 15g | 50% |
| Salt | 2.8g | 47% |
*Makes 2 servings. Based on UK guidelines for an 1800 calorie diet.