Paella

This easy-to-prepare and colourful dish is a perfect way of creating a little summer sunshine. Although not following the traditional method of cooking all the ingredients in the same pan, the result is still fantastic. Chop and change the ingredients to suit what you have in or to keep it seasonal.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g easy cook rice
½ tsp turmeric

Filling

1 tbsp oil (use the oil from the artichokes if using)
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
150g asparagus or green beans, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 jar artichokes (the ones in oil)
75g sundried tomatoes, sliced
30g gherkins, finely chopped
50g olives, sliced
100g sundried tomato paste
75g frozen peas
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp fresh dill. Use parsley, thyme or oregano if you prefer
100g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
30g toasted almond flakes
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. Place the rice and turmeric into a large pan with lots of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked. When cooked, drain thoroughly. While the rice is cooking, prepare the base.
2. In a large frying pan gently fry the onions for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and asparagus and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the peppers, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, gherkins, olives, half the sundried paste, peas, paprika and half the fresh herbs. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
4. Fold in the cooked rice to the vegetables and add the cherry tomatoes. Garnish your dish with the remaining sundried tomato paste, herbs, almond flakes and lemon wedges.

Chef's tip: This recipe uses easy cook rice to prevent the paella becoming stodgy. Of course, you could use other rice instead. When serving the dish either do it straight from the pan as would be done in Spain, or place it onto a large serving plate and then garnish with the lemon, almonds etc. Other ingredients I have used that work well include butter beans, broad beans, Quorn pieces, capers, aubergine, chillies and cashew nuts.