Paella a la Valenciana
The word Paella refers to the round, shallow metal pan the dish is cooked in … the all-important question is, what should go into an authentic paella? As you can imagine, this seldom brings two answers the same. The original paella came from the shores of the Albufera river near Valencia and consisted of beans, snails and eels along with rice, olive oil and water. What locals of the time had in plentiful supply. Today, Valencians will throw up their hands in horror at the Barcelonan style of paella – which contains almost every kind of meat, fish, shellfish, sausage and vegetable – and remain steadfast in their principle that simplicity is best. They consider red pepper overpowering and wouldn’t dream of mixing chicken and fish!
The recipe below is somewhat of a compromise, but feel free to add whatever ingredients you have to hand … after all, that was the true origin of paella.
PAELLA VALENCIANA – servings 4-6
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- small section of Chorizo sliced (other sausage or ham is fine too)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 medium tomato, peeled, deseeded and chopped (or canned diced with liquid removed)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced or grated
- 1-2 tsp of Paprika (I add a little smoked Paprika as well)
- 1 cup Green Beans, chopped
- 1/2 cup of Red Pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup Peas
- 2 cups Rice (short grain is traditional, although long grain is quite acceptable)
- 4 cups of boiling water or stock with a good pinch of Saffrom
- 12 large Prawns (cooked or raw) you could use Mussels or Clams
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Using a large frying pan, season chicken with salt and pepper and fry briskly in olive oil over a moderately high heat till browned. Add the tomato, garlic, beans, peas and sausage. When this has browned a little reduce heat to medium and add the rice and paprika, mixing well. Continue to fry while water/stock comes to a boil. Add hot liquid to rice mixture and stir briefly to mix (don’t overmix or rice will become sticky). Adjust seasoning and cook on high for about 5 minutes (careful not to burn). Arrange prawns or shellfish on top. Cover with a lid and turn heat way down – I actually turn the heat off), and allow to cook slowly for 12-15 minutes. If the rice has not absorbed all the liquid at this stage you can remove the lid and briefly turn the heat on just a touch. Do not be tempted to stir, or the rice will turn mushy.
Let rest 3-4 minutes before serving.
