Paella Inspired Chef Soraya Bowl Recipe

Paella is generally considered to be the Spanish National Dish. With roots in the city of Valencia, the dish has been crafted and perfected over hundreds of years. There hasn’t been a consensus, however, on what truly constitutes a paella. It can be made in several different ways with many different ingredients. At its core, paella is a rice dish rich in spices with protein and veggies. The name itself comes from the pan it is prepared in- a shallow, steel, thin bottomed pan that distributes heat evenly when cooked traditionally over an open fire. Our recipe is a twist on the traditional meal that is known to take hours to prepare. For this paella inspired dish we chose the Cuban Chef Soraya bowl and it can made with almost any veggies you have on hand!

One ingredient Paella consistently includes is a sofrito base. You can find sofrito sauce pre-made or you can make your own at home. Sofrito is a tomato base concentrate made with chopped vegetables cooked in oil. Typically, you’ll find garlic, onion, and peppers. For a quick alternative to this traditionally concentrated flavor base, we began by finely dicing one medium yellow onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and one medium green pepper. Add your choice in cooking oil to your pan and heat to a medium temperature. Cook until the onions become transparent and fragrant and then add your tomatoes. You can either add fresh grated tomatoes or canned tomatoes. We chose a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce. The longer it cooks, the darker and more intensely flavored it will become.

Make sure your oven is pre-heated to 300 degrees. Next, add other veggies you’d like to include to and oven-safe pan. We used a cast iron pan that heats evenly and can easily transition between the stove and the oven. In cooking oil over medium heat, sauté the veggies you would like to include. It is best to par-cook your veggies at this stage since they will continue to cook in the oven. We chose kale, fresh tomatoes, and carrots in our recipe, but you can use almost anything you have on hand. Try it with zucchini, asparagus, peas, whatever is overflowing in your garden! Now you’re ready to add your sofrito sauce and Chef Soraya bowls. If you have reduced your sofrito significantly and more liquid is necessary, add one to two cups of veggie broth. Stir to incorporate and then allow the mixture to settle. 

Now, with all the ingredients in your cast iron pan, bake for 15-20 minutes. Place slices of lemon on top before putting the pan in the oven. At the very end, broil for 3 minutes for a crispy, colorful crust. Crusts are a common thread throughout many paella recipes. Normally, the crust forms at the bottom of the paella pan once it is cooked for an extended period of time over an open fire. When your paella is ready, you can garnish with several different ingredients. We chose almonds and thinly sliced green onions. Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and fresh herbs are often used as garnishes in other recipes. This is a paella-inspired dish and that means you can really make it your own! Using a Chef Soraya bowl as its base, you can add whatever veggies you have on hand to create a gourmet meal in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients:

-3 Cuban Chef Soraya Bowls

-Fire roasted diced tomatoes

-2 cloved garlic

-1 medium green pepper

-1 medium yellow onion

-3 medium carrots

-1 pint cherry tomatoes

-1 bunch yellow kale

-green onions

-sliced almonds

-1 lemon

-Veggie broth