What Is Paella de Verduras?


One of my favorite ways to shop is to go to the Berkeley farmer's market and buy whatever looks the most fresh and delicious. I don't make a grocery list ahead of time or try to plan out a particular recipe, I just pick whatever is ripe and local. Then I take it all home and figure out how to use it, sort of like my own private Chopped! episode.

If you read my last entry about chorizo paella, you know that I have no problem with ingredients that aren't exactly traditional. And since I started cooking it at home, I've often found myself thinking, "Paella!" when I look at the Mystery Box Challenge that is my farmer's market haul.

Paella de Verduras, or vegetable paella, isn't a dish like paella valenciana with a rigid list of ingredients. You can put in whatever vegetables you have on hand. It's the most visually stunning (and also the most nutritionally sound) if you use a variety of colors, like in this beauty from Bay Area catering company Ñora Cocina Española.
Colorful vegetable paella
Is your mouth watering yet? Chefs always say that you eat with your eyes first, and I know for sure that for me, bright colors really prime my appetite and enhance my enjoyment of a dish. I have yet to make one quite as pretty as this one, but I'm working on it.

 In addition to a variety of colors, I like to choose a few veggies with different textures. I love something with a little bit of bite left in it, like romanesco or cauliflower, as well as something softer and juicier. I've even tried putting squash in my paella. Now, I'm sure at least a couple of chefs would have plenty to say about that, but I feel validated because the best restaurant in Berkeley has kabocha in their paella huertana, and I would happily eat that dish every single day. So there!

 If you're a paella lover, or a farmer's market lover, or both, I really recommend getting yourself a paella pan and trying out this experience yourself. There is something meditative and magical in letting the produce make the decisions, preparing the ingredients by hand and cooking them with love. When you finally serve that vibrant, steaming paellera full of perfectly-cooked rice and fresh, seasonal vegetables, you'll be so glad you put in the work.
Location: Berkeley, CA, USA

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