Paella - what to serve with it please?

[MaggieW]

We're doing paella for eight, and I'm just wondering what I should serve on the side, if any thing? I'm doing Gazpacho soup to start with bread but just am not sure if paella on its own will be enough? Any suggestions please?

[RupertTheBear]

Lots of crusty bread and garlic mayo. Yum

[titferbrains]

A good crunchy green salad. I always find paella quite oily, nice to have a salad with a sharp dressing to contrast. Finger bowls for after you've dealt with all the lovely prawns and mussels!

[lostinwales]

Second garlic, or lemon, mayo and scrummy bread, but if you have already done bread maybe a simple green salad. What's your Gazpacho recipe, I LOVE Gazpacho!

[Himalaya]

Salad, on the side, or a pile of rocket strewn on top.
Or nothing. Paella is a one pot dinner..

Fancy fruit salad and ice-cream for afters

[MaggieW]

Thanks for those swift replies. Like the sound of the green salad, crusty bread and mayo. Thank you.

Gazpacho
4 anchovy fillets
3TB red wine vinegar
4TB olive oil
450ml tomato juice
tin tomatoes ( or can use fresh, skinned and deseeded - I use a mix)
2 garlic cloves
2 spring onions
1 sm green pepper
1/2 cucumber
2TB chopped parsley
2tsp chopped fresh marjoram
2tsp chopped fresh basil
dash tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
basil leaves to garnish

Cut anchovy fillets in half and place in a bowl with the vinegar. Add oil and 4TB of tomato juice and leave to soak. Finely chop the tomatoes and scoop into a plastic sieve with the crushed garlic to drain.

Finely slice spring onions. Core and deseed pepper and cut into 1/4 inch squares. Finely dice cucumber and place all three in a bowl. Add the drained tomoatoes with herbs, tabasco and seasoning.

Puree the anchovy and vinegar mixture and stir into the soup with the remaining tomato juice.

Chill for two hours, taste and season if necessary. Just before serving, add crushed ice and cubes to the soup and garnish with basil. Serve with crusty bread.

You can also serve it in a solid ice bowl made by filling a larger bowl with some water, placing a smaller bowl on top of it and then freezing them together to produce an ice bowl which can look quite effective!

[chickenlickin]

I serve mine with those big beef tomatoes sliced, sprinkle with sea-salt, fresh basil and squeeze of fresh lemon and buffalo mortzerella cheese. Don't need much more as paella has a lot of yummy things in it!

[piebald]

Red wine

[JessicaCharlotte]

Salad and bread, but plenty of people eat it without any side dishes.

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