Help needed from Ottolenghi fans! Need to adapt recipe...

[bewleysisters]

Was planning to do Ottolenghi's vegetable paella recipe tomorrow (recommended here). Have a fridge full of fennel, peppers and broad beans, and tins and tins of artichokes. But have just found out somebody can't eat rice. Do you reckon I could adapt into a dish with barley or couscous? Or can anyone think of something else using these ingredients?

What about orzo? Maybe that could work instead of the rice.

I would do the vegetables and everything then stir them into cous cous at the end.

I have never heard of anyone being allergic to rice!

It's a rare allergy, but it is possible to be allergic to rice protein. Farro, pearl barley or maybe bulgur wheat would be good substitutes for the dish you describe. I'd personally avoid couscous unless you can get the 'giant' stuff, because it can get a bit homogeneous in salads, iyswim? I'm a huge fan of barley and farro salads, they don't get as soggy as other 'grain' salads

barley, quinoa or freekeh would be nice substitutes

There is a recipe for pilaff on the ottolenghi website
here

Thanks all - ended up doing a broad bean, feta and barley salad (with radish and mint), and an artichoke and fennel gratin (flavoured using the sherry I had ear-marked for the paella). With stuffed peppers. All ingredients accounted for!