Paella

I'd been toying with the idea of making paella for a several weeks before it actually happened.  It began when I saw this no-starch version on Peas and Thank You.  But the idea of cooking and crumbling cauliflower into rice-sized bits was not particularly appealing.  Nor did I have any saffron on hand.  So paella went deep into the recesses of my scattered brain, until a trip to Marshall's.

In the food aisle at Marshall's (which I am usually a bit wary of) I found a small bottle of "gourmet" saffron.  I knew saffron would be expensive, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between exceptional and marginal saffron, so I decided to buy it.  According to the price tag, I only paid about half of the original retail price!  

I found a recipe for artichoke paella in a vegetarian cookbook I own (actually purchased from a previous trip to Marshall's, but rarely used) and found time one evening to make it (another rare occurrence these days.)

I sauteed zucchini, onions and garlic in the largest pot I own, then added the rice and stirred to coat.  I added the saffron and liquid and left to boil.  About half way through, I added tomatoes, artichokes, green beans and chickpeas.  The recipe said not to stir the paella, but rather shake the pan a few times during cooking.  Not as easy as it seems, so I did end up stirring the pot once or twice, and I don't think there were any negative effects on the end result.

In restaurants, there is often a note on the menu saying paella will take at least an hour to make.  But this one came together in a little over 30 minutes, no baking required.  I will gladly trade authenticity for speedy cooking time in my own kitchen.

The recipe said it would yield 4-6 servings, but I now that I have been eating this for days and days, I think 6-8 generous servings is more accurate.  Usually I have the opposite problem with the listed number of servings.  It is much more common that a meal intended to serve 4-6 people only feeds me twice!