Grilled Vegetable Paella

By rdgplus3

Prep time - 40 minutes
Cooking time - about 40 minutes
Makes 4 servings
By Eric Akis

Ingredients

• For the grilled vegetables:
• 8 slices zucchini 1/2" thick
• 8 onion wedges, 1" thick
• 6 medium mushrooms, each halved
• 8 wedges red or yellow bell peppers or a mix of both, 1" thick
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• For the paella:
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 2 ripe on-the-vine tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 4 cups vegetable stock, plus more if needed
• 1 1/2 cups Spanish rice (such as Bomba), Italian-style Risotto rice (such as Arborio), or long grain white rice.
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 14 oz can artichoke hearts, each quartered
• 16 to 20 black or green olives
• 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

For the grilled vegetables:
Preheat your grill to medium-high.
Place the vegetables and mushrooms in a bowl and toss with oil, salt and pepper.
Grill the vegetables and mushrooms, one to tow minutes per side or until lightly charred and just tender.
Set the vegetables and mushrooms on a platter and set aside until needed.

For the paella:
Crumble the saffron into a small bowl, pour in the boiling water and let steep 5 minutes.
Place the oil in a paella pan or large skillet and set over medium heat.
Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, paprika, oregano, and cumin and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, or until the mixture is very tender and almost sticky.
Add the rice and cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Mix in the 4 cups of stock, steeped saffron, salt and pepper.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is firm-tender and still slightly wet (add a little mores stock if it is not).
Nestle the artichokes, olives and grilled vegetables into the rice.
Cover and cook 5 minutes more, or until the vegetables are heated through. Sprinkle on the peas, cover and let the paella rest a few minutes off the heat before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.