Recipe: Simple Paella with Tomatoes

SIMPLE PAELLA WITH TOMATOES

"Paella is a rice dish, and the word paella means frying pan. Tomatoes add sweetness to this dish, it also has shrimp in it."

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 pinch saffron
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 cups short grain white rice, uncooked
1 1/4 pounds shrimp, with tails on

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Warm broth in saucepan.

Put tomatoes in bowl, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss to coat; set aside.

Put remaining 3 tablespoons oil in skillet, heat. Add onions and garlic, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper and cook until vegetables soften.

Stir tomato paste, saffron, and paprika into skillet mixture, cook 1 minute more. Add rice and cook another 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; add warm broth and stir in shrimp. Put tomatoes on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in the bowl.

Transfer pan to oven and bake 15 minutes. If rice isn't quite done, add a small amount of broth. When rice is ready, turn off oven and let it sit in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with parsley.

Put the pan over burner on high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust and serve.

Makes 4 servings
Adapted from source: Original source unknown