Mixed Vegetable Paella

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• 6 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
• 5 medium white mushrooms
• 220g short-grain rice (e.g. arborio)
• 750ml vegetable stock
• Pinch of saffron strands (or 1/2 tsp turmeric or smoked paprika)
• Black pepper
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 10 black olives
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the peppers, asparagus and mushrooms. Cook over a high heat for a couple of minutes, until very slightly charred. Remove from the pan, and set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable stock with the saffron (or turmeric or paprika, if you don’t have saffron). Season with plenty of black pepper, and mix well. Add the short-grain rice to the same frying pan you used previously. Pour over the stock, making sure that the rice remains in an even layer at the bottom of the pan
3. Place the cooked vegetables on top, as well as the halved cherry tomatoes and black olives. At this point you can make a pattern with the vegetables, or just throw them on
4. Cover the pan, turn the heat down fairly low, and bring to a gentle simmer
5. Cook, without stirring, for around 20 minutes, until the rice is just cooked
6. Remove the lid, and turn the heat up for a couple more minutes until any excess liquid has evaporated, and the rice at the bottom of the pan is slightly crispy
7. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and garnished with fresh parsley and wedges of lemon.