paella, mi amor

this was a lot easier than i imagined; especially since it makes quite a lot (and could be easily increased). a great dinner party dish! or just eat it for lunch and dinner for a week.

extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
200g mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 red and 1 green capsicum, cut into 1cm wide strips
3 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp turmeric (or splash out on a few threads of saffron- soak in hot water before adding)
2 tsp ground rosemary/thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1c chopped cauliflower florets
1c chopped tomatoes or a cup of passata
3-4c vegetable stock
2c Valencia or Arborio rice
lemon wedges and marinated, sliced artichoke hearts to serve
optional to serve: tofu or other sausage

large frying pan
large saucepan/stock pot

in a large frying pan, gently fry the mushrooms, a little salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons or so of oil for about 5 minutes; transfer this mixture to a large bowl for now.

put another tablespoon or two of oil in the pan you've just emptied, heat for 30 seconds on medium and cook the onion,  capsicum and smoked paprika for 3-4 minutes. add the cauliflower and tomato, cook for 2-3 minutes then add this to the mushrooms.

keep the stock warm in a small saucepan or microwave. gently heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the large saucepan and add the rice; stir well for about a minute to coat evenly with oil. as for a risotto, add the warm stock a ladleful at a time, stirring well until each batch of liquid is absorbed. the rice should be pleasantly al dente (about 30 minutes).

if using, prepare tofu or other sausage if using. serve the rice, top with sausage and garnish with an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika, artichoke hearts and wedges of lemon.