Chef notes
This paella dish is cooked in a cazuela in a wood-fired ven. Contrary to traditional Spanish paella, the socarrat (crispy rice) is formed on the top of the dish as a result of the top flame from the oven. This vegetarian dish allows us to utilize our own farm and local farm partners all over Sonoma County.
Special equipment: 1 large, 12-inch terra cotta cazuela or paella pan
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons plus 1 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig thyme
- 500 grams ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 1 can peeled plum tomatoes
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch sugar
- 2 large fennel bulbs, cut into 8 wedges
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 2 leek whites, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 jumbo green asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 8 white asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup raw, shucked English peas
- 1/2 cup cooked white beans (or canned, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 2½ cups bomba rice
- 1 cup sofrito (recipe above)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons paella spice (smoked paprika, saffron, dried garlic, dried onion, dried thyme and dried rosemary)
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
- high-quality olive oil, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup edible flowers
Preparation
For the sofrito:
1.Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2.In a medium-size sauce pan, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and add the chopped garlic, onion, peppers, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme, and fry for about 10 minutes on a low heat until soft and translucent.
3.Add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and a good pinch of sugar, and cook for 30 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf, rosemary and thyme; discard.
4.Add 1 cup of olive oil, heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven. Sofrito should take on a light caramelization. Cool and set aside.
5.Can be made up to 3 days in advance. Freeze extra for future use.
For the vegetable garnish:
1.Toss the fennel wedges in 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Roast in a medium saucepan with a heat-resistant handle, from cold, 6 to 8 minutes at 350 F, until soft but not caramelized. Cool and set aside.
2.Repeat process with the leeks in a separate pan.
3.Set cooked vegetables aside with the asparagus, peas, white beans and yellow peppers. They will be arranged on top of the cooked paella rice and will cook when finishing.
For the paella:
1.Preheat a wood-fired oven to 600 F or home convection oven to 550 F with the fan on.
2.Mix rice with sofrito and pack mixture on the bottom of the terra cotta (or paella pan) in an even layer. Warm vegetable stock and season with paella spice and a pinch of salt, pour over rice mixture and bake in a 600 F wood-fired oven for 45 minutes. Allow the top of the rice to caramelize before removing from the oven.
If using a convection oven at home, cooking time may be closer to 1 hour. Turn broiler on for last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking to form socarrat.
3.Arrange vegetable garnish on top, place back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly caramelized.
5.Remove from oven.
6.Season with lemon juice, sprinkle the black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, parsley and edible flowers. Serve hot.
