By: Ilona Salim
THE RECIPE - Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Paella

Ingredients
8 cloves roasted garlic
6 mushrooms
1/2 sweet onions, diced
1/2 red onions, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 cup round rice/paella rice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 lemon
Instructions
Place 8 cloves of garlic on a baking pan. Drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 15 mins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prep your vegetables by chopping up your mushrooms, onions, garlic and peppers. ( + any other vegetables you want to add!)
Heat a pan on medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. After oil warms up, add the mushrooms, peppers and onions. Mix them around with the oil.
After a few minutes, make a well in the middle of the pan and add the 2 cloves of minced garlic.
Once fragrant, add 1/2 tsp of paprika powder, salt and black pepper. Season to taste!
Add 1/2 cup of canned tomato sauce, the cloves of roasted garlic and a pinch of sea salt. Mix until well combined.
Add 2 1/4 cups of vegetable broth and 1/2 tsp of saffron threads. Give it a gentle mix so that everything is well distributed.
Once it comes to a boil, add 1 cup of round rice/paella rice and gently mix until evenly distributed. Note: Please ensure rice is even spread out because this will ensure that it cooks properly!
After about 10 minutes of letting it simmer on high heat, lower the heat to a low/medium. Simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.
When you notice that there is only a small amount of broth left, turn it up to high heat for 1 to 2 minutes to achieve the Socarrat (caramelized rice on the bottom of the pan).
Remove the pan from the heat and cover for 5 minutes
Garnish with lemon wedges and some of the cilantro!
Enjoy!