Fresh Corn Paella with dried Cinnamon Flowers - vegan

This dish is based on a recipe from Chef Tanja Grandits. I prepared it a little different.

Like many recipes from this Chef, it is a bit more work to do. It is a good thing to read through it at least twice and prepwork is the name of the game.

That it is a vegan paella came to me, while I did the cooking. But I did not miss any seafood, chicken or rabbit.

Recipe for 3:

2 ears of fresh corn, 1 red long pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 1red onion, 2 green onions, 3 shallots, 3 garlic cloves, 150 g cherry tomatoes

Olive oil, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp lemon juice, zest of a lemon, 750 ml veg stock 

6 cinnamon flower spice pieces, 1 stalk fresh rosemarie, 1 stalk oregano, pinch of saffron, smoked paprika powder, chili flakes

Salt and pepper

200 g long grain rice

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

Do the Mis en Place first. It makes cooking this dish much easier. Keep two medium bowls on hand too.

Use an ovenproof pan.

Step 1: heat up some olive oil and toss in sliced red onion and chopped green onions. After 2 min add red and orange peppers. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Let them get some time in the pan. After 5 min take everything out in a bowl and set aside.

Put more olive oil in the pan and add shallots and garlic. This needs 2 min. The corn kernels are going in next. They will need good 5 min to cook. Do not forget to season them. Add chopped rosemarie and oregano. Crush the cinnamon flowers in a mortar and pestel and add to the pan.

Wash the rice and prepare the veg stock.

Combine the pepper mix with the corn and add rice to get some color. Fill up with stock and add soy sauce, lemon zest and juice. 

Preheat the oven 180 C.

Cook on medium low heat without a lid for 25 min or until the rice is done. Add toasted sunflower seeds. Put the pan in the oven for 8 to 10 min.

Serve and enjoy. But if you call yourself a meatlover, add separat cooked chicken or seafood to it.