Serves 8 people

Ingredients

SOFRITO:

• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil

• 2 Onions

• 4 Garlic cloves

• 1 Bell pepper

• 2 Tomatoes

• 2 Tbsp. Pimentón de la Vera

• Salt to taste

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HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK:

• 1 Onion

• 1 Garlic head

• 1 Bell pepper

• 2 Celery stalks

• 1 Tsp. Tomato paste

• 2 Bay leaves

• 1 Bunch of thyme

• 1 Tsp. Whole black pepper

• 1 Pinch saffron

• Salt to taste

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PAELLA:

• 2 Cups chopped asparagus

• 2 Cups chopped mushrooms

• 2 Bags Bomba rice

• Rosemary

Preparation

SOFRITO:

You could do this in advance and even freeze it or store it in jars so you always have a sofrito on hand. Simply sauté in olive oil finely chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper. Season with a generous amount of pimentón de la Vera or smoked paprika and salt to taste. Once caramelized, add the tomatoes and cook down until you have a flavorful paste.

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK:

You could do this with store-bought vegetable stock, but it’s not going to be nearly as flavorful. Remember this is the base of the paella.

Roughly chop veggies and add to an oven tray with a splash of olive oil and salt. Roast on high heat until lightly charred on the edges. Add to a big pot along with the tomato paste and sauté just until tomato paste is cooked through. Add the bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, saffron and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for around 45 minutes. Lightly blend with an immersion blender and pass through a sieve. Salt to taste.

PAELLA:

Add olive oil to the paellera and sauté your sofrito. Add vegetable stock, half of the asparagus, the mushrooms and bomba rice. Make sure the paellera is leveled so that it cooks evenly. This is the perfect time to taste it and adjust seasoning (after rice is cooked there’s no going back). Let it simmer on medium for a couple of minutes and add the rest of the asparagus on top. Cover with paper bags with some weight on top of them and let simmer over low heat until the rice cooks. Add a spring of rosemary on top and enjoy with a good glass of Calma.