Spanish-ish rice (my lazy take on a paella)

By vail28

Ingredients

• 1 * 1 onion, medium dice
• 3 * 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 * 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 * about 2c cauliflower florets, large-ish
• 1 * 1 bay leaf
• 1 * 1 can cooked white beans (I used cannellini), chickpeas, or some chopped raw chicken, raw prawns (large unshelled – small ones will overcook), raw beef, or cooked chorizo
• 1/2 * about 1/2c tomato puree or passata
• * quarter of a preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 1/4 * 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 3/4 * 3/4c white long grain rice (I used jasmine, but plain is fine)
• 1 1/4 * 1 1/4c freshly boiled water
• * salt and pepper, to taste
• * chopped parsley, to serve
• * juice of half a lemon (or 1 lemon to taste) with wedges to serve

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from twospoons.wordpress.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat about 3 Tbs cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed medium large deep frying pan, and cook onions over medium heat on an even layer, stirring occasionally until soft. Stir in paprika, cauliflower, garlic, beans (or whatever protein you’re using) and bay leaf, and cook until the bottom of the beans start catching/sticking on the bottom of the pan, about a minute. If using meat, sear at least one side. Stir in tomato puree, preserved lemon and smoked paprika, and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, utilising the moisture in the tomato puree. Taste, and add salt and pepper to your liking. If you like your cauliflower with some bite, remove the florets now after turning heat down to low, and set aside to add in after the rice is cooked. Reduce heat to lowest setting, add rice and water, and stir until the rice and water stops bubbling as vigorously, then cover. Let sit for 20 minutes, then turn off heat. Stir vegetables in and recover for another 5 minutes if you removed them earlier. Squeeze over lemon juice and stir through. Dish up, scatter with chopped parsley, and serve with a wedge of lemon.