Paella

Paella (from Valencian for frying pan, pronounced "pah-eh-yah") is a typical dish of Valencia, Spain, where it is eaten especially on Sundays and in Falles. There are many variations of it with different ingredients, this one is the original Valencian recipe.

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken
• 500g rabbit
• 480g rice
• 350g paella vegetables (big haricot beans "garrofó", small haricot beans "tavella", green beans "bajoqueta"/"judías verdes", red peppers and green peppers optional)
• 24 snails (optional)
• 120g tomatoes
• 1.5 litres of water
• Olive oil, salt, paprika ("pebre roig"/"pimentón dulce"), saffron, rosemary.

(no "onion", no "garlic", no "chorizo", no "peas". These ingredients may be seen in some touristic places all around the world but cannot be considered authentic ingredients of a Valencian Paella)

Preparation:

Clean well the snails, the chicken and the rabbit. Cut the chicken and the rabbit in small pieces. Put olive oil in a paella pan, and when hot, stir-fry the chicken and the rabbit pieces. When that is all sofregit, add the tomato and stir-fry til well sofregit, then add a little bit of paprika, the vegetables and stir-fry til they reduce. Add salt to taste, and at last add the snails. Add the rice and stir.

Optionally, in another container, heat water and leave it boiling alone for half an hour. The important thing is that the water is calcarean, as it is in Valencia. After that, throw the (boiling) water to the paella. The rice must hard cook to slow fire 10 minutes and 10 minutes to slower fire. Retire from fire, put some small branches of rosemary over the rising rice, and let the rice soak the remaining liquid in. Once the rice gets dry the paella is ready to be served.

Ritual Eating:

Some lemon juice may be poured over the paella. The magic words "bon profit" must be said. Paella dish is usually eaten on the very paella with a spoon. As a local rule says, no bread must be eaten if the paella is to be finished.

Pictures:

• Cooking a Paella
• Final Result

Famous Cooks:

It is said that Ploro cooks the most delicious paellas all around the globe.

Related Dishes:

Fideua, Arròs negre

see also Wikipedia Cookbook