Record Breaking Vegetarian Paella
- Celery
- Sulphites
Few dishes could be as synonymous with a country, as paella is to Spain. The dish has evolved over hundreds of years, but it’s the good people of Valencia who lay claim to its current incarnation. In fact, one Valencian named Juan Galbis was so keen to immortalise the dish that he cooked one (with the help of a few friends) for 110,000 people back in 2001. We’re tackling a slightly more humble audience tonight, but every Guinness World Record has to start somewhere.
Ingredients
1
Red Pepper
½
Yellow Pepper
2
Garlic Clove
5
Flat Leaf Parsley
½
Cherry Tomatoes
½
Lemon
1
Chestnut Mushrooms
1
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains: Celery, Sulphites)
2
Rosemary
½
Smoked Paprika
½
Ground Turmeric
1
Basmati Rice
Utensils
Instructions
Remove the stalk and core from the red pepper and half of the yellow pepper and cut them into thin slices. Peel and finely chop the garlic, finely chop the parsley and cut the tomatoesin half. Zest half your lemon. Chop the mushrooms into chunks and boil 500ml of water with the vegetable stock pot.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on high heat in a non-stick frying pan and fry off the mushrooms. They’ll release water, so keep cooking them until this has evaporated and they are dry and browned off (it should take about 5 mins). Remove them and keep to the side.
Add 2 tsp of olive oil into the frying pan and (still on high heat) fry off all the pepper slices and cherry tomatoes for a few mins. Once they have softened up, add in the chopped garlic, the rosemary leaves, the paprika and the turmeric.
After 3 more mins, add in half the parsley, lemon zest and the rice. Cook everything for a few mins until the rice absorbs the oil in the pan.
Next, add the 500ml of vegetable stock and the mushrooms. Give everything a good stir, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 mins, or until the rice has soaked up all of the liquid. Tip: Don’t stir the rice, as a good paella always has a crusty bottom!
Have a siesta.
Once the liquid has soaked up, take the paella off the heat and cover it with a clean tea towel for 5 mins. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste. Serve with the remaining parsley and wedges of lemon. Ándale!
