By: Mark Bittman, Epicurious
"My vegetarian paella starts with sofrito, a mixture of aromatics, herbs, and tomatoes, sautéed in olive oil until it becomes a thick paste. Saffron is traditional in paella but I also like to add smoked paprika. It’s also traditional to serve it with garlic mayonnaise but try Chimichurri for a deliciously unorthodox alternative. What is not traditional is my addition of eggs, which bake into the savory rice mixture. It’s also delicious without, so I have made them optional. No need for a paellera (a two-handled paella pan), but your pan should be wide enough to hold the grains of rice in a thin layer. This will help develop the crusty bits of rice on the bottom of the pan (called socarrat) that are the best part of the dish. Since most home cooks don’t own such a big pan, I prefer starting paella on the stove in a roasting pan or my largest skillet and moving it to the oven. To properly develop the socarrat, put the pan back on the stove for a couple of minutes before serving."
YIELD: 4–6 servings TOTAL TIME: 35 to 45 minutes, plus resting time
INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water, plus more if needed
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
1 pound fresh tomatoes, cored, cut into thick wedges, and seeded
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons smoked or other paprika
2 cups Spanish or other short-grain white rice or parcooked short-grain brown rice
4–6 eggs
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
PREPARATION
Heat the oven to 450°F. Warm the stock in a medium saucepan with the saffron if you’re using it. Put the
tomatoes in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss
gently to coat.
Put the remaining oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic,
sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in
the tomato paste and paprika and cook for a minute more. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally,
until it’s shiny, another minute or 2. Carefully add the stock and stir until just combined.
Put the tomato wedges on top of the rice and drizzle with the juices that accumulated in the bottom of the
bowl. Use a large spoon to make 4 to 6 indentations in the rice and carefully crack an egg into each. Put the
pan in the oven and roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If not, return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If the rice looks too dry at this point and still isn’t
quite done, add a small amount of stock, wine, or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let it
sit for at least 5 and up to 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put the pan over high heat for a few
minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.
PAELLA WITH EGGPLANT
Instead of tomatoes and eggs, use 1 pound eggplant, peeled if you like, and cubed. In Step 1, increase the
oil to 2 tablespoons.
PAELLA WITH MUSHROOM CAPS
Instead of tomatoes and eggs, use 1 pound fresh mushrooms like cremini (sometimes called “baby
bellas”) or shiitake. Trim the stems and save them for another use, but leave the caps whole. Proceed with
the recipe, putting the caps on top of the rice, smooth side up.
PAELLA WITH SPINACH AND LEMON ZEST
You’ll have to pile the spinach up on top of the rice, but it will cook down and form a lovely green topping:
Instead of tomatoes and eggs, use 1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed, trimmed of thick stems, and chopped.
When you put it in the bowl with the olive oil, add 1 tablespoon minced lemon zest.
PAELLA WITH FAVA BEANS
You could also make this with limas or edamame: Instead of the tomatoes and eggs, use 1 cup shelled and
peeled fava beans (frozen are fine).
Additional Topping Ideas
Cooked white beans like cannellini, gigantes, or navy beans; Thinly sliced potatoes; Thinly sliced lemon;
Crumbled tempeh tossed with smoked paprika and cumin; 1 head roasted garlic cloves, squeezed from the
skin; Sliced roasted red peppers; Whole scallions