Red Pepper Veggie Paella & Baked Halloumi Tapas Feast

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 and boil a full kettle

Deseed the red peppers (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and cut into strips

Chop the sun-dried tomatoes roughly

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add half the red pepper strips and cook for 3-4 min or until beginning to soften and char

While the pepper is softening, peel and finely slice (don't chop!) 3 [6] garlic cloves

Dissolve the vegetable stock mix and saffron in 550ml [1L] boiled water – this is your saffron stock

Once the pepper has softened, add the sliced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 min further or until softened

Add the paella rice, 2 tsp [4 tsp] smoked paprika and 2 tbsp [4 tbsp] tomato frito (you'll use the rest later!) and cook for 1 min, stirring to coat the grains in the spices

Stir in the saffron stock and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, then cover with a lid and cook for an initial 20 min or until all the stock has absorbed and the rice is cooked with a slight bite

While the paella is cooking, cut the potatoes (skins on) into small bite-sized cubes

Add the potato cubes to a baking paper-lined tray with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt and pepper

Add the remaining sliced pepper to one side of a separate baking paper-lined tray, with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper

Give everything a good mix up and put both trays in the oven for an initial 20 min or until the potatoes are beginning to crisp up and the pepper is starting to char

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) the remaining garlic

Roll the lemons with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice!) and cut in half

Combine the mayo, chopped garlic and the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon in a small bowl

Season with both salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil and whisk to combine – this is your aioli

Score the block[s] of halloumi in a criss-cross pattern, approx. 2cm deep

Add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle 1 tsp [2 tsp] brown sugar on top

Chop the parsley finely, including the stalks

After an initial 20 min remove the lid from the paella and add the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon

Increase the heat to medium-low for the final 10-12 min (this will help with caramelisation) – this is your red pepper veggie paella

Remove the potatoes and sliced pepper from the oven

Crowd the potatoes together and dollop the remaining tomato frito over the top with the remaining smoked paprika and a very generous grind of black pepper – these are your patatas bravas

Add the halloumi to the other side of the baking tray with the peppers

Return both trays to the oven for a final 8-10 min or until the halloumi has softened and the potatoes are cooked through

Cut the remaining lemon into wedges