Pumpkin and baby cuttlefish paella

Happy Halloween amigos! And to celebrate it and to make sure no food goes to waste what better than to make a paella using the leftovers from your pumpkin. I dare you all to make a decorated paella as terrifyingly ugly as mind! I hope you can make a better job than I did!

INGREDIENTS

• 200g pumpkin, cut into pieces

• 120ml extra virgin olive oil

• 200g baby cuttlefish, some whole, some finely chopped

• 1  tomato, grated

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 0.4g saffron

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp sweet pepper flakes

• Salt to season

• 440g Spanish rice

• 2 litres roasted vegetable stock

1. Infuse the crumbled the saffron in the vegetable stock. Keep warm over the lowest heat.

2. Place a paella pan over medium heat with the olive oil and fry the pumpkin for 6 minutes until lightly browned. Add the whole baby cuttlefish and fry them with the pumpkin for a further 5 minutes so all sides caramelised. Stir in the finely chopped baby cuttlefish and fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, closely followed by the pimenton and the grated tomatoes, cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts separating from the tomato paste. Add the rice and stir all together for a couple of minutes, making sure the rice gets coated with the oil and sears.

4. Carefully add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir distributing the rice evenly. Taste the stock and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook on a high heat for the first 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for the next 8 minutes without stirring and let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before eating it. Buen provecho!