Today is Wednesday and it is my first day at the courthouse for jury duty. We don’t live far from the core, so taking the subway is the most efficient way to go, plus parking would set me back about $20 per day (pretty cheap considering it could be as high as $60 per day in the financial district)! Our transit system is called TTC (Toronto Transit Commission), and the subway is often called The Rocket! I’m taking The Rocket downtown. Yes, it is as lame as it sounds! I have to be there at 8:30am. I am not looking forward to it. I hope there is wifi, but then again I do have the 3G network, so I can be in touch. I will take a book, perhaps a title that will make me undesirable to be a juror. Any suggestions?
I have made this paella before, calling it cottage paella, but I thought I would reiterate the recipe, it turned out very well on the weekend.
Seafood Paella
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice (because it is gluten free)
- 400g halibut cut into bite-sized pieces
- 12-16 Black tiger shrimp (25-30/lb is the best size so you can just pop them in your mouth) (I like to peel and remove tails so you are not having to dive into the food with hands and feet to eat!)
- 400g bay scallops
- 12-16 mussels, cleaned
- 1 tsp saffron, in about 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt
- 3 finely minced cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow pepper (into 1/2″ cubes)
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (low sodium)
- 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
- 1 can mini corn cobs
- 2-3 tbsp EV olive oil
- 1-2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- Lemon and lime slices for garnish
- hot pepper flakes if you dare!
Directions:
Steps 1-4 may be done 2-4 hours in advance.
- Soak saffron in in the white wine for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the smoked paprika on the halibut and return to refrigerator.
- Cook rice in saffron soaked wine and water until almost done – you will finish cooking during the assembly stage.
- Assembly Stage:
Just before you wish to serve, preheat oven to 400°F. - Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and stir just until you can smell its aroma. Add all the vegetables but the parsley and the green onions and lemons and limes. Stir well, if too dry, add a bit of the about 1 cup vegetable stock until a desired wetness is achieved.
- Add halibut and shrimp and put into the hot oven for about 8-10 minutes. After about 10 minutes, add the mussels and scallops and stir well. Return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. Stir a couple of times.
- Stir in chopped parsley and serve with lemon and lime wedges. Serve hot.
- Enjoy!
[…] cups leftover Paella (this or this) or Mediterranean Pasta (this or this) or […]
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[…] I have documented several paella recipes on my blog (please see here, and here) […]
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[…] who are vegetarian (the fish-eating kind) and I wanted to make a fish based Paella; I’ve made this dish before but found it a bit lacking without the use of chorizo so I was thinking…what if I made […]
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That’s a cornucopia of seafood!
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It was lovely Michael, I hope you’re not allergic!
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Eva – that looks absolutely stunning! It’s days like these that it saddens me to be allergic to seafood! I would love to have some of it – it beautiful!
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Your paella sounds wonderful. I’ve never made it with brown rice but I like that idea, certainly better for you than Bomba. I also like all the ingredients you’ve added – very nice and beautiful table setting. Thank you for sharing!
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Welcome Vicki, and thank you for your lovely compliments. The brown rice adds a very nice bit of texture that white rice doesn’t have. I’ve enjoyed making it with the brown rice many times.
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The book idea – maybe “The Trial” by Franz Kafka. Nothing like showing you’re all in favour of arbitrary, pre-decided judgments and unfair trials without charges to put you in the court’s good books 😉
Your paella looks beautiful Eva – I’m loving the baby corn in there – I love eating those – I feel like a giant! 😀
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That’s funny Charles…”I feel like a giant”. JT took John Grisham’s Runaway Jury and paraded it around like a billboard when he was on Jury Duty…Good suggestion. I was looking for a new book anyway, and I do love my lawyer mysteries, thank you.
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Brown rice is delicious isn’t it! And that’s so cute that it’s called The Rocket! I wish ours had a cute name 😛
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Thank you for your comment, Lorraine. I actually like brown rice better than white because it has a bit of texture. I do find it interesting that there are SO many different TYPEs of rice. Well, excuse my ignorance, but I had no idea that Australia even had a subway system…I’ll check it out today. The more I am exposed to your blog (and a few other of my down under fav’s) the more I really want to visit there. Sadly the time it takes to travel there will limit our trip to when we are retired…which as it turns our will be in about 15 years. Hope I’m still up to it.
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I love that table setting Eva! I want to sit down there right now – enjoy that meal and glass of wine. It looks fabulous. 🙂 I hope that you were able to get out of jury duty today.
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Thanks Kristy, I am very flattered that you think so. Once again, I escaped under the radar and they released us at 10am yesterday morning. It really was just dumb luck, but I don’t care, I’ll take it. I’m off the hook for another three years; but I’ll bet you that I’ll be called again in the next 6 months…why can’t I be this lucky in the lotto’s?
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This looks incredible!!! So many fabulous flavors, there is no need to miss the chorizo or chicken! And yes to the red pepper flakes…yum!
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Thank you Liz, you know, I didn’t even think about the chorizo…which I LOVE, but you are quite right, we didn’t even miss it. The wife of this couple is not a heat lover but had it been just JT and myself, I would have been ALL over the red pepper flakes.
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Yum. I would eat this. The first title that came to me for avoiding jury duty was The Shining. Don’t know why. Haven’t read it myself. Or maybe “Lives of the Serial Killers,” which I just made up.
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Thank you Sharyn that is quite a compliment as I know how discerning you are. That would be my fear of being called for an actual trial, the very detailed reports that one on a jury would be subjected too of the undesirable personality traits of the ‘criminals’. I think it would really scar me for ever. I can’t even watch a scary film anymore…particularly one that can possibly be true.
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I don’t watch scary films either, or read graphic books — there’s enough trouble in this world without filling your mind with fear and horror.
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I think I would have a good argument not to participate, Sharyn.
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Just look at that seafood paella. I find myself drooling while visiting your blog once again lol. I love this
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Thank you kindly, Kay, so very nice of you to say. I enjoy reading your blog too’ such a nice variety of design, art and food.
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Take the bible. Whatever you’re drinking with this paella also looks great.
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Hmmmm, interesting suggestion Greg, but I would be afraid that I might be hit by lightening ;-).
We were drinking prosecco with a pomegranate juice, very fruity but very red for VD!
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I sure hope they let you out, Eva… I know when they called me once I played the teaching full-time and full-time mother card and they let me off. What a pretty paella.. If I were you I’d be day-dreaming of this the whole time!
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Thanks Barbara; I knew a print rep who said his entire income was based on commission and if he doesn’t work, he doesn’t make money; they said too bad and was stuck on a three week trial. Thank you for the compliment.
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Wow, they must be a lot harsher than in Calgary!
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That’s a good looking paella, Eva. We’re on a less meat eating streak right now, and this looks like a dish I might want to try! Good luck with jury duty…hope they boot you or you get a short trial!
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Thanks Betsy. I’ve got great news tomorrow!
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Good luck today, Eva. I hope you can avoid it but, if you must serve, let it be a very short, one day affair. Maybe you could bring some of this tasty paella with you and bribe whomever you must to get rejected and sent home. And this does look and sound like one tasty dish of paella!
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Thank you kindly John. I shall have some interesting stories to tell, that’s for sure!
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Your paella looks delicious! This has been on my list of to-do! I once had it at a Spanish restaurant and totally love it! Thanks for sharing, and all the best in your jury duty! Have a nice day!
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Thank you for your kind words and good wishes, kitchen flavours!
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I hope you’re rejected and released soon having done you civic duty. 🙂
Another lovely meal.
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Thank you for your good wishes, Maraia. Me too!
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A comforting and delicious paella. Just curious..why is it called ‘vegetarian’ while having seafood in it?
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In Canada, some vegetarians eat seafood while others don’t eat anything with a face, Angie.
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Oh Eva! I feel your pain. Jury Duty! Hmmm! No wonder there is such a wonderful scene in The Grinch about jury duty. I do hope you survive your time there and that it is incredibly short. Carl’s currently on a reprieve. He is next due to be called up in about 10 weeks. Honestly! I love the list of ingredients in your vegetarian paella. That is a dish that would work wonders for you – so nutritious. Good luck out there!
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Thank you so much Charlie. I cannot believe how often they can call you in Australia, it’s brutal! I am part of a two-person company and my absence will be felt! Much the same as your Carl. It really sucks! Thank goodness we can only be called once per year (used to be every two years I think, but they decided to torture us citizens more!)
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