I first made this paella for a party at Blenheim Forge, a blacksmith in south-east London. It was late summer, and tomatoes were ripe and plentiful. Over-ripe stock was being sold by the bagful at the local market, which I turned into a celebration of tomatoes. Ideally, eat alfresco on a late summer’s evening; I like to serve this with a spoon of aquafaba mayonnaise.
Last of the summer tomato paella
This simple dish is a brilliant, plant-based centrepiece. Paella is an original one-pot wonder, an epic platter of deliciousness, and I came up with this recipe to celebrate the last of the summer tomatoes while they’re cheap, ripe and plentiful, and before they go out of season. Before you start cooking, prepare all the ingredients and have them ready to go; lay the table, too, so you’re ready to eat. A paella takes only about 18 minutes to cook, and is best eaten fresh and without delay, not least so the rice doesn’t overcook. Also, remember that the flavours will intensify as the stock is absorbed and reduces, so don’t over-season the rice during the cooking. You can always tweak it at the end.
Serves 4
1 pinch saffron threads
800ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
380g bomba rice, or other short-grain rice
1kg mixed ripe tomatoes – 400g grated, the rest sliced
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste, or, even better, ñora pepper paste
2 tsp sweet paprika
5 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme, plus 1 sprig extra to serve
200g black olives (I use kalamata), pitted
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, including stalks, to serve
Aquafaba mayonnaise, to serve (optional)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Toast the saffron in a hot dry pan until it darkens a little, then grind in a mortar, stir in two tablespoons of water and put to one side. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a pan with a lid.
Set a four-person paella pan or large, ovenproof frying pan on a medium hea, add a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil, then add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and rice, and cook, stirring, for two minutes more. Stir in the gratedtomatoes, sun-dried tomato or ñora pepper paste, sweet paprika and the thyme or oregano sprigs, then pour in the hot stock to come 1cm above the surface of the rice – you may not need it all.
Stir, season lightly, then arrange the 600g tomato slices and olives on top. Pour the saffron and its soaking liquid evenly over the top, bring the mix to a boil, then leave to cook undisturbed for five minutes, or until the liquid reduces enough for the rice to come to the surface. Transfer to the oven, bake for 12 minutes, then remove, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for two minutes. Serve immediately, topped with the extra herb sprig and the chopped parsley, and with the mayonnaise on the side, if using.
