Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Shrimp and Vegetable Paella

This is an old recipe for us, pre-dating "us" but I honestly don't know where I found it. I love paella in its many versions and this one does it for me - lots of flavor from the garlic, wine, and carrot (of all things, that carrot stands out here) and most importantly the marinated artichoke hearts.

There are many times when paella is great, especially as a spring or early fall dish - but today was 10 F with crazy gusts, a driveway that filled with snow, and nothing but low gray clouds. Paella worked today too.

Ingredients:
  • 6 scallions, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp of fresh parsley - or 1 1/2 tsp of dried parsley
  • 1 cup of rice
  • 1 1/2 cup of water (or better broth)
  • 1/2 cup of white wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 lb of medium shrimp, thawed and shelled
  • 4 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
  • 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, each quarter sliced into 3s
Steps:
  1. Saute the scallions, pepper and garlic in some olive oil for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the parsley and rice, saute for 1 minute and stir often to coat the rice.
  3. Add the broth, wine, shrimp and carrots and simmer 20 minutes, covered.
  4. Finally, add the artichoke hearts (plus all juices from the jar) and stir well.
  5. Serve hot to 4 hungry people.