Roasted Red Pepper and Courgette Paella
Is there anything better than a well made paella? Here’s my take on the classic paella, updated with seasonal goodies and time saving tricks. I’ve used turmeric here instead of the classic saffron, because saffron is incredibly expensive and not very efficient crop. Only tiny parts of the crocus plants are harvested to make saffron, which is labour and resource intensive. Turmeric performs just as well and will be kinder to your wallet!
When to eat
I recommend eating this dish from late May/early June till September. You’ll get the best of the British peppers and courgettes through this time period.
Roasted Red Pepper and Courgette Paella
This meal is around 83% less polluting than the average UK meal.
Eating this recipe will save around 2.44 KG CO2e per person.
That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 20.15 KM in a modern car.
How do I calculate this?Ingredients
- 500 g Courgette
- 2 Red Pepper
- 4 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion
- 4 Clove Garlic
- 2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 2 Teaspoon Tomato Paste
- 1 Litre Vegetable Stock
- 15 g Thyme
- 250 g Paella Rice
- 70 g Black Olives
Instructions
- De-core and slice the red pepper into long 1 inch thick strips. Slice the courgette into rough 1 inch chunks. place the pepper and courgette on a baking tray and cover with tablespoon of the olive oil. Season well and then grill on high (250˚c) in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the peppers soften and start to blacken.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and onions. Heat the remaining olive oil in a deep set pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and garlic and fry until the onion is soft. Spoon in the turmeric and paprika and cook for a further minute before adding the paella rice. Prepare the stock and combine the tomato paste and chopped thyme into the stock, then pour the mixture over rice. Simmer the rice gently for about 20 minutes until the stock has been completely absorbed and the rice is aldente. Do not be tempted to stir the rice once the stock has been poured over.
- Roughly chop the black olives. Once the rice is cooked, remove from the head and toss in the olives, cooked red pepper and courgettes and mix well. Serve immediately.
4 Comments
Susan
August 14, 2022 at 8:40 am
What a great website – so clear and simple, full of good ideas, well written and designed with the reader/viewer in mind.
hugo
August 14, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Thank you Susan
Polly
January 17, 2023 at 8:50 pm
I really enjoyed using your recipe which tasted delicious. My daughter was
very impressed and she is an amazing cook.
Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to finding some more of your excellent recipes.
hugo
February 2, 2023 at 2:22 pm
Glad you enjoyed it Polly!