Vegetable Paella With Chorizo

The amount of rice the recipe calls for leaves a uselessly small amount of rice in the sack of Arroz Bomba I had (0.5 kilo), and so I used the entire sack, increased the stock by 1/4 cup, and doubled the smoked paprika. It was very popular. This is a very forgiving recipe. Next time I make it, I’ll add green olives and anything I feel like.

Good, simple paella. You will get better soccarat with high heat and a longer cook time than 2-3 minutes. Also only add enough chicken stock to cover the rice. I didn't need the whole 3.5 cups stock.

Sure, it’s not authentic, but all my three kids ate it up and asked for seconds, and they are not fans or cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. Fun to make and a joy to eat. P.S. we ended up adding shrimp. Good suggestion.

I halved the amount of chorizo and added three boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces . I added the chicken before adding the rice to brown it. Then I resumed the recipe as is.

You can’t make authentic paella without saffron. Add 1/2t crushed saffron to the rice.

Made this exactly as written -- quick to assemble and worked as expected. I tossed large (still) frozen shrimp on top and coated with a bit of the broth before putting in the oven; they were perfectly cooked when the dish was done. Will make again, but will substitute other veg. Cauliflower became rather indistinguishable from the rice, and the brussels sprouts were a VERY off-putting combo with the paprika. Asparagus, artichoke hearts, green beans, even summer squash would be good.

I also added a red bell pepper, and would use the whole onion and a spicier sausage (andouille, perhaps) next time. Overall, pretty good!

Check Vegetable Paella with Wild Mushrooms in archives of NYT May 30, 2007. Adapted from chef Maria Jose San Roman

Never suggest this variation of paella to a Spaniard. The inclusion of chorizo would be considered an outrage :) Google 'Jamie Oliver' and 'chorizo paella' to see the reaction to this in Spain!

This is not paella. At least not what anyone in Spain would recognise as such. Not the ingredients, not the technics, not the process. Not the cooking pan. Paella (the dish) is cooked in a paella (the pan). This is It’s with veg and chorizo and whatever you want throw. Probably very nice and yummy. But not paella.

The soccarrát is easier to get in the patella or paella pans because the amount of rice lies spread out so the heat creates the crust easier. In Spain when they serve it they scrape the bottom of the pan to mix tbe soccarrát in with the rest. My favorite even has squid. Some use the black ink to create “black rice” which is not inly showy but delicious!

I made this as close to the recipe as my supplies and dietary restrictions would allow, using Arborio rice, vegan Field Roast sausage, homemade veg stock, and mushrooms instead of cauliflower. And I added saffron to my stock. It's delicious!

I made this last night and I’m still thinking about how good it was. I used Palacio Spanish chorizo (the mild variety, which was still super tasty). I used almost 2x the amount called for. I used half broccoli and half cauliflower instead of all cauliflower and added some red bell peppers. And I roasted the veggies in some Olive oil and salt (a little bit) before adding them. I think the bell peppers added flavor. I’m not sure it was necessary to pre roast the veggies.

Paella doesn't have chorizo. Chorizo is too spicy and it would mask the other ingredients. I'm from Valencia, Spain, where Paella originally comes from, and the only meat we add is soft flavored, like chicken and rabbit. Will some people like this combination? Sure. Is it Paella? Absolutely not.

Onion is not a traditional ingredient in paella because it makes the rice mushy because onion makes the grain of rice split open. If using paella rice such as Bomba rice its best to skip the onion. This is the advice of paella makers in the city of Valencia, where's paella, with saffron, was invented.