Paella

Valencian Paella, the authentic traditional home-made Spanish dish

Cooking right a Valencian Paella is actually an art that could be at the end of your fingertips as long as you follow some easy steps and have all the required ingredients.

Redacción24/02/2017
Don't get confused between the Valencian Paella and other rice dishes. The ones from Alicante stand out for their 'sauté' and the variety of ingredients that are made of. The Valencian Paella is a survival dish that comes from the inland, that's why its basic ingredients are rabbit and chicken, and also the different vegetables from  the Valencian vegetable garden. The same happens with the different kinds of rice: the ones from Albufera (inland rice plantation area located near Valencia) are made of duck, whereas the ones from the coast are of  fish and seafood. The rice dish is made of whatever people may have in their pantry. It's the cooking heat what makes the rice be cooked nice and properly on all sides round, so that's the real key to making a successful dish.
  • 400 g. rabbit (cut into small pieces)
  • 400 g. chicken (cut into small pieces)
  • 250 g. 'ferradura' (green beans)
  • 150 g. 'tabella' (white beans)
  • 150 g. 'garrofón' (big white beans, traditionally used in Valencia for paella)
  • 300 g. rice
  • Ripe tomato
  • A bunch of snails
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
  • 3-4 saffron stigmas
  • Small sprig of rosemary
  • Salt
  • 600 cl. water or chicken/vegetable stock

Dificultad:

Facil

Precio:

Medio

Así lo hacemos:

  1. Use a paella pan - flat shallow round pan
  2. Heat medium
  3. Add the oil
  4. When hot, fry gently the rabbit & chicken, previously cut and salted
  5. Meanwhile, put the snails in cold salty water to clean up them
  6. Change the water 2 or 3 times
  7. Brown the meat
  8. Add the beans
  9. Still frying for 8-10 more minutes
  10. Add the tomato (grated)
  11. Stir until it loses all the water
  12. Add the rice evenly, saffron, paprika and water/stock
  13. Once it starts to boil, add more salt if needed
  14. Add the snails (strained)
  15. Simmer between 15-20 minutes, until the rice gets dry
  16. Remove the paella pan from heating
  17. Add a small sprig of rosemary
  18. Cover the paella pan with a clean cotton-made tea towel
  19. Let it settle 1-2 more minutes