Paella Rice Cakes
You can, of course, eat this paella as soon as it’s ready in the pan, but here we’ve shaped ours into cakes and cooked in the oven to crisp up the outside. Hands-on time 30min, plus cooling and (optional) chilling. Cooking time
about 1hr 5min. Serves 4
Large pinch saffron
800ml vegetable or chicken stock, made with just-boiled water 2tbsp olive oil, plus extra to brush 1 onion, finely chopped
1 red or green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp smoked paprika
250g paella rice
100g fine green beans, finely chopped
100g frozen peas
Small handful parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish 50g pitted black olives, chopped 60g Manchego cheese, grated 125g chorizo ring, de-skinned and chopped
Lemon wedges, to serve
1 Stir the saffron into the stock and set aside until needed. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying or paella pan and gently cook the onion and pepper for 10min, until softened. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook for 1min.
2 Add the rice and some seasoning and stir to coat in the oil, cooking for 1min. Add the green beans and saffron stock. Turn up the heat, bring to the boil, then turn down heat to low and cook for 20min, with minimal stirring.
3 Remove pan from heat, sprinkle the peas on top and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, stir through the parsley, olives and grated Manchego. Check seasoning.
4 Line a baking tray with parchment. Shape the paella mixture into 8 even patties, squeezing together firmly, and space apart on the lined tray. If you have time, chill them for 30min to firm up.
5 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Brush the tops of the paella cakes with oil and cook in the oven for 30min, or until piping hot and crisp. Just before they are due to be ready, fry the chorizo in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp and the chorizo has released some of its oil.
6 Serve the paella cakes with the chorizo (and its oil) spooned over. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
PER SERVING 590cals, 19g protein, 28g fat (10g saturates), 62g carbs (9g total sugars), 6g fibre
GET AHEAD Prepare to end of step 4 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Complete recipe to serve.