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Spanish Fideua, pasta paella

Spanish Fideua, Pasta Paella

All the fun and traditional flavours of a classic rice paella, but using noodles!  Saffron, smoked paprika, and fennel fronds create the aroma.  Vegetables reign supreme in this dish, but it is easily adapted for the addition of meat if you so desire.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Spanish
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 small or 1/2 medium fennel bulb plus the fronds
  • 1 lb (10 oz) fava beans in the pod, enough to yield 2 1/2 cups fresh beans (you can also use frozen thawed)
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion small diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 red pepper seeded, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 lb (350 grams) plum or roma tomatoes seeded, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chilli flakes or cayenne pepper
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock to keep it vegan, use vegetable stock
  • really generous pinch of saffron threads
  • kosher salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • 12 oz fideos noodles if you can't find these or don't have a Spanish grocers nearby, you can totally use thin spaghettini noodles, broken into 1 inch pieces or a bit smaller
  • 1 lemon for squeezing over the finished dish

Instructions

  1. Trim the frond tops from the fennel, chop them, and set aside
  2. Halve the fennel lengthwise and remove the tough outer layer.
  3. Trim off the base and chop the rest. Set aside
  4. Remove the beans from the pods and cook in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run cold water over them. Let them cool and then remove the outer skin to reveal the bright green bean. Set aside.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp of the the olive oil in a broad, wide shallow pan, about 12 inches across. If you don't have a paella pan, use the widest skillet or braiser you have.
  6. Cook the onion over medium heat till just turning soft. Add the garlic and cook till the onion is pale gold.
  7. Add the bell peppers and tomatoes and cook, stirring until soft and thickening. Reduce the heat if anything is starting to scorch on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Add the fennel and the chopped fronds and cook for 5 minutes.

  9. Add the paprika, chili flakes or cayenne, and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.

  10. Add the stock and the saffron. Bring to a boil, stirring so that the saffron infuses the stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Start with 1/2 tsp of each.
  11. Add the noodles, scattering them around the pan evenly.
  12. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and let everything cook for about 12 minutes. During this time the noodles will absorb the stock and become soft. It is important not to stir.
  13. About 4 minutes before the 12 minutes are up add the artichoke hearts to the fideua, distributing them around the pan.
  14. While this is cooking, quickly sauté the fava beans in the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper.
  15. Add the fava beans to the fideua. Scatter them evenly around the pan. Try not to stir the pasta too much. This will release starches and turn everything sticky.
  16. You know the noodles are done when they stand up!!

  17. Give the entire dish a generous squeeze of fresh lemon and serve with crusty bread.  And a Sparkling Spanish Cava or a toothy Roja!

Recipe Notes

You could also add sliced mushrooms towards the end of cooking down the tomatoes and peppers.

If you want to add meat: sauté some fresh chorizo, sliced into bite sized pieces. Or why not skewer some shrimp or chicken and grill along the fideua if you are cooking this outside on your grill. Add them towards the end with the fava beans. If you want to use peas instead of fava beans, that's great as well.