Home grillers, here’s a plant-based paella bursting with bright Spanish flavors. The chickpeas provide the protein and, while tradition calls for cooking the veggies in the pan, grill master Steven Raichlen says live fire intensifies color and flavor.
This recipe, which can be grilled over wood, charcoal or gas, is from Raichlen’s new cookbook, “How to Grill Vegetables: New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire” (Workman, $25). You’ll need wooden toothpicks, a wire grill basket or vegetable grate, a 16-inch paella pan or large cast-iron skillet, and a long- handled stirring implement, like a grill hoe. (Psst, a long wooden spoon works, too.)
Grilled Vegetable Paella
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 large or 4 small artichokes
½ lemon
1 large sweet onion, peeled
12 ounces broccolini or zucchini
8 ounces green beans or snow peas, ends snapped off and strings removed
2 ears sweet corn, husked, silk removed
6 ounces padrón or shishito peppers, stemmed
12 cherry tomatoes
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate
To finish the paella:
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼ by 2-inch strips
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus 1 tablespoon to garnish
1 large luscious ripe tomato, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups Valencia-style rice, such as bomba or Calasparra
1 teaspoon safron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm water for 5 minutes
1 cup dry white wine, preferably Spanish
8 to 10 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade, added in batches
1 cup drained cooked chickpeas
Lemon wedges, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Prepare the vegetables, using the instructions here as a general guideline: Cut the points off the artichoke leaves, as needed. Trim 1/8 inch off the bottom of the stem. Cut the artichoke from crown to stem into 6 wedges (if using small artichokes, cut them in half). Cut out and discard the fibrous choke. Rub the cut sides with the half lemon to keep them from discoloring. Blanch the artichoke wedges or halves in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes, then drain in a colander and blot dry.
For the onion, cut it from top to bottom into 6 wedges. Pin each crosswise with a toothpick (this keeps the wedges from falling apart).
Trim the broccolini ends and separate it into stalks. (If using zucchini, cut it in half lengthwise.
Lightly brush the artichokes, onion, broccolini (or zucchini), green beans, corn, padrón peppers and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, set up your grill for direct grilling and build a hot fire. If enhancing a charcoal fire, add the wood chunks or chips to the coals; if enhancing a gas fire, place the chunks or chips in your grill’s smoker box or place chunks under the grate directly over one or more burners. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
Arrange the oiled seasoned vegetables on the grill (smaller vegetables like green beans, shishitos, and cherry tomatoes should be in a grill basket) and grill until darkly browned on all sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Don’t worry about cooking them through — they’ll finish cooking in the paella.
Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board. Remove the toothpicks from the onions. Cut the broccolini or zucchini into 2-inch pieces. Cut the corn crosswise into 1-inch rounds with a chef’s knife or cleaver. The veggies can be grilled and prepped ahead to this stage. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
To finish the paella, place the paella pan over the fire. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook over high heat, stirring with a long-handled implement, like a grill hoe or long-handled wooden spoon, until the onions begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, 2 tablespoons parsley, diced tomato, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Add oil as needed. If the mixture — called a sofrito — starts to burn, slide the pan to a cooler part of the grill. Note: The Spanish wouldn’t brown the sofrito, but you’ll get more flavor if you do.
Stir in the rice and sauté until the grains look shiny, about 1 minute. Stir in the soaked saffron (with its liquid) and wine and boil for 2 minutes.
Stir in 6 cups of stock, or more as needed to cover the rice with liquid. Adjust the heat (by moving the paella pan closer to or farther away from the hot part of the fire) to obtain a gentle simmer. Gently simmer the rice for 10 minutes.
Stir in the artichokes and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining grilled vegetables and the chickpeas. Continue cooking the paella until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes in all, stirring occasionally. Add more stock (½ cup at a time) as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste: The paella should be highly seasoned.
If you get it right, all the liquid will cook out and the bottom of the rice will turn into a crisp savory crust called socarrat. Sprinkle the paella with the remaining parsley, garnish with lemon wedges (if using), and serve straight from the pan.
— Steven Raichlen, “How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire” (Workman, $25)
