Paella Tips From A Great Spanish Chef
My love for paella started at a very early age – at a small arrocería (paella restaurant) called Posada de San Miguel in the picturesque coastal village of Altea, in the region of Valencia. Every August we would celebrate my grandad’s birthday there. This was his restaurant of choice every year and his birthday paella quickly became a family tradition.
Since then I would say my relationship with paella has been off and on. I started cooking at a very young age but we never cooked paellas at home as it’s not a tradition in Madrid where I grew up and – quite simply – it wasn’t in my mum’s repertoire. Every time we went east for the holidays, this famous dish that so many restaurants offered felt exotic and special to me. It was rare to find these places that could feed a large family like ours with just one pan – a pan that would come to the centre of the table for all of us to share. Paella was the perfect solution.
Over the years I’ve come to realise that anyone who has eaten a proper paella remembers it. It’s quite remarkable. I think the most likely reason for this is the fond memories that often attach themselves to a paella.
Inspired? Here are three paella recipes to try at home…
Paella Valenciana (Original Paella)
This famous Spanish dish brings friends and family together. If the weather allows, we cook it on an open fire. This paella recipe is very much untouchable – the Paella Valenciana is regulated under strict guidelines and the watchful eyes of most Valencianos. Only very small variations are permitted and have a stamp of approval. If you follow the recipe carefully, be assured that you will enjoy the best of all paellas – I guarantee it. There are just two fundamental things to be considered when cooking this simple recipe outside of Valencia. The first is that it's unlikely you'll be able to find all the ingredients – this is why I have given some alternatives. The second is that the ingredients in the region of Valencia are second to none; the year-round sunshine and rich soils deliver strong flavours that elevate our produce. If you follow this recipe exactly but use low-quality ingredients, you're likely to be slightly disappointed by the end result. Your paella will probably lack flavour and richness. To solve this, I recommend using a light chicken stock in place of water, which will add richness and make up for the deficiencies of your other ingredients
Wrap the saffron in foil and toast it for 30 seconds on each side in a paella pan set over a medium heat, or over an open flame. Remove from the foil and use a pestle and mortar to grind it to a powder; set aside.
Place the paella pan back over the highest heat and season around the edges of the pan with rock salt. Pour in the olive oil, add the chicken pieces skin-side down and fry for 10 minutes. Add the rabbit and continue to fry on all sides for 10 minutes, turning regularly, until dark golden. Take your time, as the flavour added to the pan here is what will season the water you add later, creating a rich stock.
Lower the heat to medium. Push the meat to the edges of the pan to free up some cooking space, letting the oil run into the middle of the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the paprika and the grated tomatoes. Cook for 4 minutes while stirring until the tomatoes have lost most of their juice and have formed a paste that is starting to separate from the oil.
Pour in the water, sprinkle over the ground saffron, add the garrofo beans and let it simmer for around 20 minutes. The caramelised bits caught on the base of the pan will dissolve to form a rich stock. Add the runner beans (and red pepper and artichokes if you are using them) and let it simmer for a further 5 minutes. Taste the liquid; the rice will absorb a lot of saltiness, so it should taste over-salted at this point.
Increase the heat to high and pour in the rice, spreading it evenly throughout the entire paella pan. Cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes, without stirring. When the liquid level has reduced to just below the rice, add the rosemary on top of the paella. Cook for a few minutes longer, then let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
Arroz De Mantanza (Pork Feast Paella)
This is a dish based on a recipe from days gone by, when no one had a fridge and you had to use the whole animal every time you slaughtered one. Any cut of pork can be used in the paella – this is just how it was made back then.
Place a paella pan over high heat, add the olive oil and fry all the meats and shallots for 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, closely followed by the paprika and grated tomato, and cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste. Add the bay leaf, saffron and thyme, pour in the water and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the rice and stir to distribute it evenly. Cook over a high heat for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 9 minutes, without stirring. Let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before eating.
Arroz De Cerdo Y Alcachofa (Pork & Artichoke Paella)
A treat of a paella with pork, red pepper, green beans and artichokes, which is very straightforward to cook. It’s made with a clean and subtle pork stock that allows all the different flavours to shine.
Heat the pork stock in a saucepan over a low heat and crumble in the saffron. Keep warm over the lowest setting.
Generously season the pork cutlet on both sides. Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over a high heat. Holding it with tongs, sear and brown the fat of the pork cutlet, then cook on each side for 3 minutes. Set aside somewhere warm to rest.
Add the red pepper and artichokes to the pan and sauté for 4 minutes before adding the onion. Sauté for a further 2 minutes, then add the green beans and season with salt. Caramelise for another 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, closely followed by the paprika and grated tomato, and cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste. Add the rice and stir together for a couple of minutes, making sure all the rice gets coated with the oil.
Carefully add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir to distribute the rice evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook over a high heat for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for a final 9 minutes, without stirring. Slice the pork and rest it on top of the paella while it finishes cooking.
Let the paella rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Extracted from Paella: The original one-pan dish: over 50 recipes for the Spanish classic by Omar Allibhoy (£13.69 (was £18), Quadrille). Photography by Facundo Bustamante.
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