The paella is a dish of festive essence and marked Mediterranean character. Its consumption was popularized in the Valencian Albufera and, since then, it has been extended to reach as many places as versions of this delicacy have been created.
This recipe is one of those rare cases in which the food takes its name from the object in which it is cooked, since in Valencian, 'frying pan' is called 'paella', which comes from the Latin 'patella'. Thus, and although the rice dishes were already very consumed by the inhabitants of the towns of the Mediterranean coast of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, it is not until 1900 that in Valencia it began to be called 'paella' prepared rice in the traditional large-surface iron-fired pan with small handles.
According to Lourdes March Ferrer, writer of various works of gastronomy and food, this dish symbolizes the union and heritage of two important cultures: the Roman, which gave us the utensil, and the Arab, which in the fourth century BC brought us from Asia, which for centuries was the basic food of humanity.
This vegetable paella is a very tasty vegetarian version thanks to the rich variety of ingredients, the flavor and aroma of which the rice absorbs while cooking. This makes the result a succulent, tasty and delicate rice.
It is a dish rich in carbohydrates , flavonoids and antioxidants such as quercetin , lycopene , glutathione , chlorophyll , isoflavones and beta-carotene ; inulin , alliin , omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids , lecithin , fiber , proteins , tryptophan , vitamins C , E , K and group B ( B1 , B2 , B3 , B5 , B6 and B9 or folic acid ), calcium , copper , chromium , phosphorus , iron , magnesium , manganese , potassium , selenium and zinc .
Below you can see what ingredients you need and the steps to follow to be able to make one of the jewels of Mediterranean gastronomy.
| Difficulty level | Preparation time | Rations |
| Easy | 1 h. | For 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 400 gr. rice
- 250 gr. mushroom
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 3 tomatoes
- 150 gr. peas
- 100 gr. green bean (flat)
- 1 vegetable broth pill
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 l. water
- 1 pinch of ground saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- We put the water to boil with the vegetable broth and salt and keep on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175º and, while, finely chop the garlic and onion with a knife.
- We put the oil in a paella and, when it is warm, we toss the garlic and the onion. Let it poach over medium heat for 5 minutes, while cut into small pieces the green pepper and red pepper, cutting and reserving a few strips of the latter to decorate.
- When we have the garlic and onion poached, we add the green pepper and the red pepper, both chopped and cut into strips. We fry everything together for 10 minutes and, when we have it ready, we set aside and reserve the strips of red pepper.
- We toss the sliced mushrooms in slices and the tomatoes cut into small pieces, we give a few turns, add the sweet paprika and let 10 minutes to cook everything well, stirring occasionally.
- After this time, add the rice and stir to mix with the sofrito for a couple of minutes. Next, we add the peas and green beans washed and cut into pieces of about 3 cm., Stir again and put the water we had boiling. We toss the salt and the saffron, we remove a little and, finally, we decorate the paella placing the strips of pepper above in a radial way.
- When the broth begins to boil, turn off the heat and pass the paella to the preheated oven, placing it in the second guide starting at the bottom. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
- After this time, we take the paella out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. After this time, we can already serve it.
Notes
- We recommend you check that the broth tablet does not contain palm oil.
- If you prefer, you can substitute saffron for a little turmeric.
- The size of the paella where we will make the rice will depend on the number of rations we want to make, being the 40 cm. the ideal for 4 people.
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