ARROZ DE VERDURAS
One of the heartiest rice dishes from the Murcian region, traditionally made with fresh home grown countryside vegetables. It is a paella with an intense vegetable flavour, which can also be enriched with lean meat.
Ingredients
400g paella rice
500g lean meat (optional)
2 ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper
500g green beans
bunch of asparagus
2 artichokes
2 garlic cloves
1 spoon of chopped parsley
olive oil
water or vegetable stock
pinch of saffron and salt
Directions
Brown the meat (if using) in the hot oil. Drain and reserve. In the same oil, fry the garlic and crush in a mortar with the parsley and saffron. Set aside.
Once again in the same oil, sauté the peppers in thin strips, the peeled and chopped tomatoes, the broad beans, the artichokes and the asparagus pieces. Add the garlic and sautéed meat, with the juices that have been released. Add a glass of water and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
At this point, add the rice and boiling water or stock (double the volume of water to rice). Season with salt and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
To this rice you can add whatever seasonal vegetables you have, such as beans or fresh peas. If you want a lighter dish, you can make this paella with only vegetables, without meat, and it turns out just as good.