Vegetable Paella is the perfect dish to serve for an Indian summer celebration. This version is flavorful and smoky. The seasonal vegetable that are in markets are plentiful and this dish makes great use of them. You can get some summer squash and peppers locally. Using super fresh ingredients is a fun way to get the most out of this time of year. This dish pairs really well with a fun Sangria, too! You can find more fun summer recipes here and here!
Serving Size: Serves 10
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of saffron strands
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
16 ounces of Arborio rice
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 box of vegetable broth
3/4 cup of dry white wine
1 tube of tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic
1 large white onion
2 bell peppers
3 large tomatoes
2 small zucchini
2 small yellow squash or pattypan squash, if available
2 small hot peppers (adjust for your spice preference)
1/4 cup of fresh thyme
1 bag of frozen artichoke hearts, quartered
You will also need a paella pan and two plastic gloves (for handling the hot peppers).
Instructions:
Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Cut the zucchini and yellow squash into bite-sized strips.
Clean the bell peppers and chop them.
Remove the thyme leaves from the stems.
Peel the tomatoes and chop them, keeping the juices.
Using gloves, remove the seeds from the hot peppers.
Taste a bit to ensure they are your spice preference and dice them.
Thaw the artichokes, lightly dry them, and set them aside.
In a paella pan, heat the olive oil until it is shimmering.
Sauté the onion and garlic until they are fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, juices, and tomato paste.
Add the paprika and saffron threads.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook until tomatoes have become well incorporated.
Add the zucchini, squash, and peppers.
Add the white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated.
Add the vegetable stock, the rice, and half of the thyme.
Cook until the rice has absorbed the water and is soft, stirring frequently.
This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
When the rice begins to absorb all of the flavors of the dish, nestle the artichokes in the dish.
Garnish the dish with remaining thyme and enjoy!
