On Saturday we went to see our daughter, Hannah-Rei, perform at a local community festival in Leeds. Despite the sunshine, it was cold and windy and the breeze carried the aromas from the wonderful selection of ethnic foods on sale which we were unable to sample because of our gluten free diet.
Later on, I made this paella dish which is easy to prepare, warming and nourishing. I used turmeric instead of saffron to create the colour and to enhance its nutritional value. Turmeric is believed to contain fantastic anti-inflammatory properties and research suggests it may assist in the healing of digestive problems, reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, arthritis as well as Alzheimer’s Disease. This dish serves 2 to 3 people.
Vegetarian Paella GF
180g arborio rice
1 red onion
1/2 large courgette
1 red pepper
1 green chilli
2 tomatoes
110g frozen peas
85g tinned sweet corn
110g unsalted cashew nuts
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp chilli powder or more to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
500ml gluten-free vegetable stock
1 tblsp chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Measure out the spices, finely chop the chilli and crush the garlic cloves.
- Rinse the rice under a cold tap and finely chop the red onion. Cut the pepper and courgette into chunks then de-seed the tomatoes and cut the flesh into pieces.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion is soft.
- Add the rice, spices, rosemary, garlic, chilli and chopped vegetables and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly then add the corn, peas and cashews to the pan and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes until the rice is soft, adding a little more stock or water as necessary.
- Chop the parsley and stir into the rice. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
