Paella

Ingredients

Meat and vegetables

• 600 grabbit, jointed into small pieces
• 600 gchicken thighs and drumsticks, jointed
• 120 mlSpanish olive oil
• 250 gflat green beans (bajoqueta), topped and halved
• 150 gfresh or soaked dried garrofó (large white lima beans)
• 2tomatoes, grated, skins discarded
• 1 tspsweet pimentón (Spanish paprika)

Rice and broth

• 500 gbomba or Albufera short-grain rice
• 1.6 litreswater or light stock
• 1generous pinch saffron threads, toasted and crumbled
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 sprigfresh rosemary
• 1small handful snails (vaquetes), if you have them

Equipment and serving

• 1paella pan of 46–50 cm, flat and thin
• orange or vine wood for the fire, or a wide gas ring
• 1lemon, in wedges (optional, and disputed in Valencia)

Directions

1. Set the pan level over the fire and heat the olive oil. Season the rabbit and chicken generously and brown them over medium heat for 15–20 minutes, turning, until deeply coloured on all sides. Push them to the outer rim as they are done.
2. In the clear centre, fry the green beans and garrofó for 5 minutes, then add the grated tomato and cook 5 minutes more until it darkens and loses its water.
3. Take the pan off the flame for a moment, stir in the pimentón for 15 seconds only, then add the water immediately. Paprika burns in seconds and turns the whole paella bitter.
4. Add the saffron, rosemary and snails, bring to a strong boil and cook 20–25 minutes, so the broth reduces and takes on all the flavour. Taste and over-salt it very slightly; the rice will absorb the seasoning.
5. Remove the rosemary. Rake the rice across the pan in a cross or an even shower, distributing it into a thin, level layer, and shake the pan to settle it. From this moment, never stir the rice again.
6. Boil hard for the first 8–10 minutes so the starch is driven into the broth, then drop the heat and simmer for a further 8–10 minutes, turning the pan if any part is cooking faster.
7. When the liquid has gone and the surface is dimpled with small craters, raise the heat for 60–90 seconds to form the socarrat, the caramelised crust on the base. Listen for the crackle and stop the moment you smell toast, not burning.
8. Cover the pan loosely with a cloth or newspaper and rest 5–10 minutes off the heat. Serve straight from the pan, traditionally eaten with wooden spoons from your own wedge of it.

Technique

• Paella valenciana is defined by rabbit, chicken, the two beans and, when available, snails and duck. Adding chorizo, onion or peas to a Valencian paella is regarded locally as a serious offence.
• Never stir once the rice is in. Stirring releases starch and gives you risotto texture, when the whole point is separate, dry-ish grains and a crust beneath them.
• Depth is the reason for the wide pan: the rice layer should be no more than 1.5–2 cm deep so it cooks by evaporation, not by boiling.

Substitutions

• No garrofó: use dried butter beans or large lima beans, soaked overnight and pre-cooked until tender.
• Bomba rice absorbs three times its volume and is forgiving; if you use Calasparra or Senia, cut the liquid to about 2.5 times the rice volume and watch it closely.
• No wood fire: use the widest gas burner you have, or two rings, moving the pan constantly so the heat reaches the edges.

Variations

• Paella de marisco, the coastal seafood version with prawns, mussels and squid in a fish broth.
• Arròs a banda, where the rice is cooked in fish stock and the fish is served separately.
• Paella mixta, the tourist-driven mix of meat and seafood, popular abroad and viewed with suspicion in Valencia.

History

Cooked over orange-wood fires beside the Albufera lagoon near Valencia; the traditional version uses rabbit, chicken and beans rather than seafood.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paella?

Paella is a main from Spain: valencian saffron rice cooked flat with rabbit, chicken or seafood. Cooked over orange-wood fires beside the Albufera lagoon near Valencia; the traditional version uses rabbit, chicken and beans rather than seafood.

How long does Paella take to make?

Paella takes 25 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Paella?

Yes, within limits. No garrofó: use dried butter beans or large lima beans, soaked overnight and pre-cooked until tender. Bomba rice absorbs three times its volume and is forgiving; if you use Calasparra or Senia, cut the liquid to about 2.5 times the rice volume and watch it closely. No wood fire: use the widest gas burner you have, or two rings, moving the pan constantly so the heat reaches the edges.

What is the most important thing to get right in Paella?

Take the pan off the flame for a moment, stir in the pimentón for 15 seconds only, then add the water immediately. Paprika burns in seconds and turns the whole paella bitter.