Hot tip:
Prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking so you can easily throw together the paella outside on the barbeque, with everything you need to hand.
Pinch of saffron strands
800mL hot vegetable stock
6 mixed mini sweet (bell) peppers, halved and deseeded
1 courgette (zucchini), sliced into rounds
2 Tbs olive oil
1 unwaxed lemon, halved
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
300g bomba paella rice
400g canned, or jarred butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed
8 pitted green olives, sliced into rounds
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Small handful of fresh dill, roughly torn, stems discarded
Pinch of sea salt
Stir the saffron into the hot vegetable stock in a jug, or pan and allow to infuse.
In a bowl, toss together the peppers and courgettes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Lay the vegetables onto the hot grill along with the lemon halves and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until char lines appear and the vegetables soften. Set aside in a bowl.
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into a 30 cm carbon steel (barbeque-safe) paella pan and place onto the grill. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and soften for 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, smoked paprika and oregano and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Stir in the rice and coat in the mixture for a couple of minutes, then add in half the stock.
Cover the pan with kitchen foil, or close the barbeque lid and cook for 15–-0 minutes, or until most of the stock has absorbed.
Stir in the remaining stock along with the butter beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the dish is starchy and thickened.
Scatter the cooked vegetables over the top and squeeze over the charred lemons. Scatter on the olives, flat-leaf parsley and dill.
Season with salt to taste, then allow to stand off the heat for 5-10 minutes before eating.
Credits: This is an edited extract from Vegan BBQ by Katy Beskow published by Quadrille Books, RRP $29.99
Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Vegan BBQ by Katy Beskow published by Quadrille Books, RRP $29.99
