PAELLA OF SPRING VEGETABLES
A paella can contain many things through the changing seasons – bacon, chard, tomatoes, white or black beans and turnips – usually with some part of the pig. Here is a pretty dish with the new season’s vegetables. Fresh broad beans can be substituted for the asparagus, and chopped mushroom for the ham.
SERVES 6
400g (14 oz) Spanish medium-grain, or risotto, rice,
washed
850 ml (1.5 pt) good stock
150 ml (1/4 pt) dry white wine
200g (7 oz) trimmed asparagus tips, in short lengths
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
175g (6 oz) raw gammon or bacon, chopped small
200g (7 oz) green beans, trimmed, in short lengths
2 small courgettes, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 tomato, without skin or seeds, diced
100g (4 oz) mange-tout, trimmed, snapped in half
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a paella pan or wide shallow casserole and fry the onion gently with the gammon or bacon. When nearly soft, add the garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley and the rice, stirring it in the oil for a minute or so.
Combine the stock and wine and taste it, adding seasoning as needed. If it is tasteless, boil to concentrate it, adding wine to make up the volume. Add a third to the rice, bring to simmering point and add the asparagus. The rice takes 20 -25 minutes from the moment the first batch of stock is added.
When the stock has been absorbed, add another third, with the beans, courgettes, carrot and tomato, and stir for the last time. Add the remaining stock with the mange-tout. When the rice is done, cover the pan and let it stand, off the heat, for 5 minutes, then garnish with more parsley. This is good served with slices of fried ham.
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