Paella Havana

This recipe had an interesting list of ingredients, and except for the rice and maybe onions and green peppers, none of them were what I think of when I imagine paella. However, despite that, they all blended together well, and this was actually a pretty delicious dinner. The original recipe said it was for one serving; we knew it would be way more than one person could eat, but we doubled it anyway. The amounts below actually serve 4-6 people.

Paella Habana

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2/3 cup boneless pork loin cubes
• 2/3 cup cooked yuca
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
• 2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced in 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• 1 cup white rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup white wine, optional
• 2 teaspoons cooked green peas

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet. Sauté the green pepper, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Add the pork and coo until tender. Stir in the yuca, sweet potatoes, plantains and black beans. Season to taste. Add the chicken broth and food coloring; bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with wine if desired and garnish with peas. Serve immediately.