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| This is the only photo we got of the paella, sadly. Other photos not of paella will accompany this post. |
Every time I cook something that has potential to be spicy (as in spicy hot, like chili peppers on a Thai menu), I cook it in a way that fulfills that potential and then some. My own threshold for that kind of spice is so high that only certain brands of salsa and a few four-chili dishes at restaurants can hit it. Dan’s tolerance is about on par with mine, so if we cook to our respective levels, it usually works out for both of us. Since I’ve started cooking for more guests after moving into the JASCastle , though, I’ve gotten some cues that maybe not everyone can enjoy the same kind of heat in their food--mainly due to remarks like “wow, this is spicy--good, but...really spicy”.
So, for this paella, which we made as a post-raw-diet-feast, I approached the dish with the potential for guests in mind. (We didn’t have anyone over that night, as it turns out, but Dan’s sister did get to try some leftovers.) I kept my cayenne and jalepeno additions to a minimum, and instead we added the appropriate (or our idea of appropriate) amounts of Tabasco and pepper flakes to our own plates. This means the recipe, which I’m about to post, is safe to follow if you have a moderate tolerance for hot foods.
So, for this paella, which we made as a post-raw-diet-feast, I approached the dish with the potential for guests in mind. (We didn’t have anyone over that night, as it turns out, but Dan’s sister did get to try some leftovers.) I kept my cayenne and jalepeno additions to a minimum, and instead we added the appropriate (or our idea of appropriate) amounts of Tabasco and pepper flakes to our own plates. This means the recipe, which I’m about to post, is safe to follow if you have a moderate tolerance for hot foods.
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| Speaking of spicy, check these guys out. |
It’s also safe because it’s really not -that- complicated or difficult. Yeah, it looks like it has a lot of steps; yeah, it takes time; yeah, it involves cooking rice in something that isn’t a rice cooker, but holy crap the output was more than worth the input. So! If you’re cooking for 1 or 2 people and want a lot of leftovers, or if you’re cooking for 5, make this, because it’s enough for at least 5 servings, and it’s super good, full of vegetables, full of colors, and vegan and delicious.
The seitan sausage recipe was adapted from the basic seitan recipe at the Post Punk Kitchen blog. For the seitan itself, I used the same quantities of everything, but I left out the lemon juice and garlic.
My ingredients were:
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sage
1/2 cup cold vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the broth:
4 cups vegetable broth (save this for cooking with the paella after you’re done!)
Preparation:
Heat the vegetable broth over the stove, and let it come to a boil while you prepare the seitan.
To make the seitan sausage ‘dough’: Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix the wet ingredients separately in a smaller bowl, and add wet to dry. Mix everything with a fork until it becomes a spongy dough, and knead it with your hands for a few minutes. Divide the dough into 3-4 cylindrical pieces (yeah, I know what that looks like...) and put them in the boiling water. Simmer for 45 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them in the broth for 15 more minutes.
The paella recipe is adapted from this one at the Runner’s Kitchen. I didn’t change much, but I used brown rice, which actually makes a big difference in the preparation process.
Here are my ingredients:
(Rice)
4 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1.5 cups brown rice, medium grain
4 cups vegetable stock (use from seitan recipe)
salt and black pepper, to taste
(Toppings)
3 Tbs olive oil
Seitan sausages (above), sliced
1-2 cups oyster or shiitake mushrooms
black pepper
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Lemon slices or wedges
Preparation:
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and sprinkle the cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, and oregano over it. Stir for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is evaporated, another 5-10 minutes. Transfer the mixture from the pan into a bowl, and wipe the pan clean (optional...) Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, and add the peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes, and add the tomato-onion mixture (sofrito) back to the pan.
Add the rice to the pan with the peppers, onions, and tomato. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, then add the vegetable stock, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Stir a couple times, bring the contents to a boil, and cook uncovered on medium heat for 10 minutes, without stirring any further.. Lower the heat to a simmer, and continue to let it cook, uncovered, without stirring. It takes about an hour for the rice to cook (if you’re using brown rice)--after about 45 minutes, though, you should start testing the top pieces of rice for done-ness. You start to smell the mixture browning (it’s a good type of browning, not quite burnt!) just as the rice is finishing.
Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. Slice the sausages from above into half-inch slices, and heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in another pan. Add the sausages to the pan, and cook until browned on each side, 2-3 minutes. Set these aside on a plate, and to the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil. Turn the heat up a little, and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle black pepper over the mushrooms and sautee until they’ve cooked down a bit and have soaked up the oil, about 6-7 minutes or so. Put those on a plate as well, and feed the pan another tablespoon of oil (notice a pattern here?) Lower the heat to medium, and add the artichoke hearts. Sautee them for a minute or so, then add the white wine. Cook the artichokes in the wine for about ten minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat (finally!) and stir in the lemon juice.
Once your rice is done cooking, turn off the heat, and add the peas. Let the peas warm up in the paella as the rest of it cools down a bit, for 5 minutes or so. If you want, transfer the entire thing to a platter (we didn’t, mostly because we don’t have one big enough.) Add your other toppings--the sausage, mushrooms, and artichokes--to the top, in whatever pattern you want. Garnish with lemon wedges or slices.
Enjoy with a heavy dose of Tabasco, if you’re like me, or with some nice wine.
Here are my ingredients:
(Rice)
4 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1.5 cups brown rice, medium grain
4 cups vegetable stock (use from seitan recipe)
salt and black pepper, to taste
(Toppings)
3 Tbs olive oil
Seitan sausages (above), sliced
1-2 cups oyster or shiitake mushrooms
black pepper
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Lemon slices or wedges
Preparation:
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and sprinkle the cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, and oregano over it. Stir for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is evaporated, another 5-10 minutes. Transfer the mixture from the pan into a bowl, and wipe the pan clean (optional...) Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, and add the peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes, and add the tomato-onion mixture (sofrito) back to the pan.
Add the rice to the pan with the peppers, onions, and tomato. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, then add the vegetable stock, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Stir a couple times, bring the contents to a boil, and cook uncovered on medium heat for 10 minutes, without stirring any further.. Lower the heat to a simmer, and continue to let it cook, uncovered, without stirring. It takes about an hour for the rice to cook (if you’re using brown rice)--after about 45 minutes, though, you should start testing the top pieces of rice for done-ness. You start to smell the mixture browning (it’s a good type of browning, not quite burnt!) just as the rice is finishing.
Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. Slice the sausages from above into half-inch slices, and heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in another pan. Add the sausages to the pan, and cook until browned on each side, 2-3 minutes. Set these aside on a plate, and to the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil. Turn the heat up a little, and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle black pepper over the mushrooms and sautee until they’ve cooked down a bit and have soaked up the oil, about 6-7 minutes or so. Put those on a plate as well, and feed the pan another tablespoon of oil (notice a pattern here?) Lower the heat to medium, and add the artichoke hearts. Sautee them for a minute or so, then add the white wine. Cook the artichokes in the wine for about ten minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat (finally!) and stir in the lemon juice.
Once your rice is done cooking, turn off the heat, and add the peas. Let the peas warm up in the paella as the rest of it cools down a bit, for 5 minutes or so. If you want, transfer the entire thing to a platter (we didn’t, mostly because we don’t have one big enough.) Add your other toppings--the sausage, mushrooms, and artichokes--to the top, in whatever pattern you want. Garnish with lemon wedges or slices.
Enjoy with a heavy dose of Tabasco, if you’re like me, or with some nice wine.
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