Vegetarian Paella Verde
 
 
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
Sofrito (see notes*):
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • ¼ green bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and pulsed in a food processor until finely ground
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Paella:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼" cubes
  • 4 green onions, cut into 1" pieces and separated into light and dark parts
  • ¾ pound rainbow chard, stalks diced and leaves roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon saffron
  • ½ pound asparagus, cut diagonally into 1½" pieces
  • 1½ cups radishes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 15 oz. can water-packed whole artichoke hearts, drained and halved lengthwise
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • chopped fresh parsley and lemon wheels (for serving)
Instructions
Make the sofrito:
  1. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over low heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add wine and simmer until evaporated, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes, rosemary and salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make the paella:
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Heat olive oil in a paella or large shallow fry pan over medium heat. Add carrots, light parts of green onions and chard stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Then add 1 cup sofrito, smoked paprika and saffron; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
  4. Add chard leaves, half of the asparagus and radishes, and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Scatter remaining asparagus and radishes over the rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer, without stirring, until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 17 minutes. Scatter artichoke hearts and dark parts of green onions on top, transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven (see notes**) and let paella sit for 5 minutes. Scatter parsley and lemon wheels on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
*You will have extra sofrito after making the paella; store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
**At this point, you can drizzle 2 tablespoons Calabrian chile oil over the paella and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes to develop a layer of crispy rice - aka socarrat - on the bottom of the pan.
Recipe by Two of a Kind at http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/vegetarian-paella-verde/