by Sally | Apr 29, 2016 | Recipes
Here we have the second in this series of recipes from expert cook and food writer Claire Davies, aka The Greedy Wordsmith.
To discover more about Claire, her workshops, and her food and copy writing services hop on over to www.greedywordsmith.com
Claire says…
As is often the case with modern favourites, the roots of Paella lie with farmers and workhands of the past. The name refers to the pan itself but has come to be known as a dish of rice flavoured with tomatoes, saffron and paprika. The addition of seafood, chicken or meat changes with each region of Spain so feel free to
experiment in your own kitchen. I also love mine topped with squid or mussels.
Soaking the saffron ahead of time allows for the true flavour of this luxurious spice to really shine. The resulting liquor always fills me with excitement and gives a beautiful ochre colour to the final dish. The stamens of the saffron crocus have a long culinary history due to the belief that they could imbue miraculous healing properties. In medieval England traders could be put to death if they were found doctoring their produce. Today the stamens are still picked carefully by hand and – weight for weight – demand a price more expensive than gold.
Ingredients
Pinch of good quality saffron
2 fillets of salmon (around 200g)
1 lemon, cut into quarters.
A large onion
1 medium carrot
2 cloves of garlic
200g of paella rice
1tsp of sweet paprika
½ tsp of smoked paprika
1 tbsp. of gluten-free vegetable bouillon powder
300ml of hot water
Half a can of chopped tomatoes
2 – 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
8 – 10 green Spanish olives
A handful of frozen peas
A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
You will need a large, deep frying pan for this dish.
Place the saffron in a bowl and cover with around 20ml of warm water. Leave to
infuse for at least 4 hours. Squeeze a quarter of the lemon over each salmon fillet and wrap loosely in greaseproof paper. Set aside.
Peel and finely dice the onion and carrot. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Fry these
gently with a little coconut oil or ghee until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
Add the paella rice and stir well.
Make a flavoured stock by combining the paprika, vegetable bouillon and hot water.
Pour this into your pan along with the chopped tomatoes and saffron liquor. Mix well before tucking the fresh thyme sprigs under the rice. Bring to the boil then reduce and simmer for fifteen minutes. If the rice appears dry pour over another 100ml of hot water. Add the peas and arrange the olives on the top of the rice. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for a further ten minutes. You are seeking sticky textured rice.
Towards the end place your salmon parcels in the microwave and cook for just a
couple of minutes. The salmon should still be slightly pink in the middle but not raw.
Leave to rest.
Taste your paella and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Stir through the chopped parsley before spooning a portion of the paella into a bowl, topped with one of the salmon fillets and a quarter of the lemon for squeezing.
by Sally | Oct 15, 2012 | Recipes
Zingy lemon complements green beans and garlic in this delicious soup.
gluten-free option, dairy-free option, vegan option, yeast-free option
A fantastic flavourful soup packed with fibre, plant-based protein, magnesium, and zinc. It’s the ideal soup for using up homegrown green beans in summer, or you can use frozen ones in wintertime.
Be sure to use organic lemon wherever possible as regular lemon rind holds pesticide residues. Give your lemon a good scrub before grating if organic ones are unavailable.
Ingredients
60g organic butter OR 1 dessertspoon of coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
30g plain flour OR gluten-free equivalent (buckwheat, potato, or gram)
1l vegetable stock
2 cloves of crushed garlic
400g fresh green beans; topped, tailed and chopped. If fresh beans are unavailable, use frozen.
2 teaspoons grated organic lemon rind
Juice of 1 lemon
Pumpkin seeds and pine nuts (toasted, if you prefer) to sprinkle on top
How to make green bean soup
Melt the fat in a large pan.
Add the onions and garlic and cook gently for 2-3mins.
Add the flour, stir well to combine, then gradually add the stock while continuing to stir.
Once the liquid has thickened slightly add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the beans are cooked.
Blend until smooth. Serve topped with pumpkin seeds and pine nuts, alongside a couple of slices of Flaxseed Flatbread.
Store leftover soup in glass jars in your freezer. I like to use old mayonnaise or peanut butter jars for this. Make sure to leave at least 1″ of space between the soup and the top of the jar so the jar doesn’t crack.
You might also enjoy
Flaxseed Flatbread
Millet Salad
Tabbouleh
