Vegetable paella

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g paella rice
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 800 ml vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• some saffron threads
• 250 g bell pepper(s), red
• 250 g bell pepper(s), green
• 400 g tomatoes
• 100 g onion(s)
• 5 garlic cloves
• 200 g green beans
• 150 g leek
• 150 g carrot(s)
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, sweet
• salt and pepper
• 100 g olives, black
• Vegetable broth, as needed

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Vegetable paella

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan, add the rice, and fry for 3 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Pour in the vegetable stock. Add the bay leaf and the saffron threads (crushed between your fingers) and cook the rice in a covered pan for about 10 minutes, until half cooked. Bake the peppers in a preheated oven at 220°C until the skins blister. Remove and let them sweat in a plastic bag. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and membranes, and cut the flesh into 1.5 cm pieces. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them, remove the stems and seeds, and dice the flesh. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Wash and trim the beans and leeks, cutting the beans into 3 cm pieces and the leeks into 1.5 cm rings. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin, 4 cm sticks. Heat the remaining oil in a paella pan. Briefly sweat the diced onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the beans, leeks, and carrots to the pan for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add the half-cooked rice to the vegetables in the pan, mix well, and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the peppers and tomatoes. If the rice is too dry, add a little more vegetable stock. Finally, stir in the olives. Arrange the paella on warmed plates and serve.