Alfonso XIII Paella
Inspiration:
Well, this recipe is a tribute to my girls of Alfonso XIII. When I was living in Madrid my roommate, Emily, and our good friend, Danielle, and I all lived at the Metro stop of Alfonso XIII. This was our point for departure for various adventures in Madrid. I hope this paella provides a culinary adventure for you!
Ingredients:
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
3/4 c chopped eggplant
1 sweet onion diced
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
Paprika
Sea Salt
1 c white rice
3 c Chicken Broth
Saffron
3/4 lb. of peeled, deveined wild shrimp
1 c Shredded Chicken
1 c frozen artichoke hearts
1 can of rinsed chickpeas or garbanzo beans
2-4 T chopped Flat leaf parsley
Directions:
1. Heat pan with tight-fitting lid to medium high heat. Add a couple turns of olive oil.
2. Add first three veggies and saute until tender.
3. Push veggies to the side. Add a little pool of olive oil in the center of the pan. To it add the minced garlic.
4. Lightly season veggies with sea salt and paprika.
5. Add rice to the veggie mixture. Stir around to coat rice with the oil and lightly cook.
6. Add chicken broth as well as a pinch (a few threads) of saffron to the dish.
7. Add shrimp, chicken, and artichoke hearts to the pan.
8. Bring pan up to a bubble. Then turn down to simmer, place lid on top and allow to cook for about 15 minutes.
9. Once rice and shrimp are tender, add garbanzo beans, season liberally with salt, add a little extra paprika, and a turn or so of olive oil.
10. Stir together, cover and cook for another 5 minutes or less to allow flavors to meld.
11. Serve and eat!
Breaded Eggplant with Pesto Pasta and Salad
Behold! My first web video cooking episode. Watch me make a delicious Eggplant ‘Parmesan’ free of multiple food allergens!
So here was the problem: I used to love Eggplant Parmesan but was at a loss with allergies to dairy, gluten, and tomato in particular. My strategy? Make gluten-free breadcrumb and top eggplant with a delicious pesto, so tomato and cheese are not even missed!
In video 1 I cover making the pesto and breading the eggplant.
Here is the pesto recipe:
Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or more
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 3 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1 Combine the basil in with the nuts (I used walnuts), pulse a few times in a food processor.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
Note: to see the original recipe from which I created this adapted pesto, click here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/.
Before going to video 2…FYI, I lost some footage, which showed the layering of the breaded eggplant. So let me tell you how to do it: Just spray a 9X9 with canola spray, and layer the eggplant, then some pesto, then repeat until all eggplant is in pan; leave some pesto to toss with the pasta!
In video 2, I totally botched my camera angle, so it is hard to see what I’m doing. Sorry! But, what you should have been able to have seen:
1. Adding pesto and a bit of reserved cooking liquid to cooked and drained Tinkyada Rice Pasta, my fav! See ‘My Pantry’ links on sidebar.
2. Pulling out piping hot eggplant baked at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes
3. Plating of the meal with a simple salad (See ‘Simple Salad Sauces’ page on sidebar) …. And bread for the non-celiacs in your life.
After filming, we dined, and this was a great recipe! Between filming and posting, I did some follow-up work, however, on Daiya cheese (See ‘My Pantry’ links). I think that the Mozz style Daiya layered on top of the eggplant would really pull the dish together. It’s taste isn’t overwhelmingly cheesy, but it melts and stretches like cheese, which gives you the feeling that you’re ‘normal’ again. 🙂
This recipe is definitely going into my allergy free cooking repertoire!
Cook Allergen Free! Tasty Allergen Free Meals Everyone Will Love! 