Perfect Paella

well, almost. But I had to keep it kosher, so "almost" is as good as we get around here.

I was inspired by Marie at 66 Square Feet to whip up a little paella for dinner in the sukkah last night. It was tricky, given that Bad Cohen isn't eating fish (or tomatoes or peppers) and we don't eat treif. Here's what I did:

Start the rice:
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice, 3 cups water, a little olive oil, saffron, onion powder and garlic powder. (Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover)

Cut up the veggies for faux-sofrito on the table in the sukkah while watching The Kid play in the sandbox:
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 onion, 1/2 of a zucchini, all about 1/4" dice

Cook the veggies in olive oil over med-high heat in a nice heavy sautee pan, stirring occasionally, with a little salt.

When they're nicely browned, add a squeeze of ketchup, about 1 cup of chicken stock, and the rice (only partially cooked at this point). Lower the heat to about med-low and cover, adding bits and pieces of whatever else you have around (I used leftover honey-lavender chicken, corn, peas, and cooked veggie sausages), and a good sprinkling of sweet paprika (maybe 2 Tablespooons).

Cook until the rice is almost done, remove cover, turn up heat, and get it all a little toasty and less wet.

I served it with quickie sangria (see below), good canned sardines on the side for me and The Kid, although I would have preferred real, separately cooked salmon and cod, but the line at the fish counter was too long and I was hungry.

Quickie Sangria
Mix equal amounts of:
Red wine
good lemonade
Reed's ginger brew

Stir, add a dash of cinnamon, and if you're making a whole bunch, add in some cut fruit. Real sangria is great, but let's face it, it's a lot of work for a single glass.