Chicory endives, apples and sprouting broccoli paella | Paella de endivias, brecol y manzana
I have a particular interest for bitter flavours, things like frisee lettuce, chicory, cranberries, coffee and of course chocolate! To me this are ingredients that need reinforcement on the sides to bring their natural sweetness and make the dish more rounded. A good example of how fruits can play an important role in savoury dishes.
INGREDIENTS
140ml olive oil
2 chicory endives, quartered lengthways
200g sprouting broccoli
2 apples
0.4g saffron
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
440g Spanish rice
1 tomato, grated
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 shot of whisky (or rum)
2 L of roasted vegetables stock
A few sprigs of rosemary
Salt to season
Infuse the crumbled saffron in the vegetables stock. Keep warm over the lowest heat.
Place a paella pan over high heat with the olive oil and the sprouting broccoli, chicory endives and apples and fry it for 10 minutes until a nice brown caramelisation has been achieved in all the ingredient. Season with salt. Remove the sprouting broccoli from the pan after 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, closely followed by the pimenton and grated tomatoes, cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts separating from the tomato paste. Add the rice and stir all together for another couple of minutes, making sure the rice gets coated with the oil and sears.
Pour the shot of whiskey, flambee and carefully add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir distributing the rice evenly. Taste the stock and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook on a high heat for the first 10 minutes, add the rosemary and sprouting broccoli and continue to cook on medium for the last 9 minutes without stirring. Let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. Buen provecho!
