Authentic Spanish Vegetable Paella

Step 1

Finely dice the onion, roughly mince the garlic, finely chop the carrot, cut the red bell pepper into thin strips and cut the green beans into 1 inch (2.50 cm) pieces

Step 2

Heat a paella pan with a medium-high heat and add in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Step 3

After 2 minutes add in all the chopped vegetables (except the garlic), mix continuously with the olive oil, after 3 minutes and the onion is translucent, add in the garlic, mix for 30 seconds, then add in 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika and quickly mix together, then add in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and season everything with sea salt, mix together and simmer

Step 4

3 minutes after adding the tomato sauce and it has slightly thickened, add in 3 cups vegetable broth and 1/4 tsp saffron threads, mix together and bring to a boil, then add in 1 cup Spanish round rice and 1/2 cup canned lima beans, give it one final mix and simmer, after this step do not mix the rice again

Step 5

After about 10 minutes and a lot of the broth has been absorbed by the rice, but there´s still plenty of broth left, lower to a low-medium heat, simmer until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice, about 5 minutes, then hit it back to a medium-high heat and go for 1 to 2 minutes, this is to achieve the socarrat (caramelized burnt rice underneath), then remove the pan from the heat

Step 6

Cover with a dishcloth and let it sit for 5 minutes, this is to ensure the rice gets fully cooked through, then remove the dishcloth and serve, enjoy!