Spanish beef and pearl barley paella

Serves

Prep Time

Cook Time

Ingredients

600g Beef blade steak, trimmed of fat, 2cm diced

2 large Onions, 1 cut into ¼-inch dice, 1 cut into chunks

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Smoked paprika

4 Silverbeet stems, finely diced

1 Red capsicum, finely diced

1 Green capsicum, finely diced

1/2 cup Pearl barley

1 head Garlic, sliced in half horizontally

6 sprigs Thyme

1 pinch Saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp hot water

500ml Salt reduced beef stock

1 bunch Silverbeet leaves, shredded

Drizzle oil over beef in a bowl and toss to coat. Place a 30cm paella pan, frying pan or cast iron casserole dish over high heat and brown beef. Add paprika and stir to coat the beef.
Add diced silverbeet stems and capsicum, pearl barley, garlic, thyme, saffron and stock and bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until beef and pearl barley are tender. If liquid reduces too much add a little water to keep the beef moist.
Add shredded silverbeet leaves in the last 2 minutes of cooking, or steam separately and serve paella on top of silverbeet.

Rump steak can be used instead of blade.
Try kale, spinach or baby spinach instead of silverbeet
Try celery or onion instead of silverbeet stems.
This recipe can be made in a slow cooker. Transfer everything except silverbeet leaves to the slow cooker after step 1. Cook for 8 hours on low. Add silverbeet leaves for the last few minutes of cooking.