John Myers
The traditional paella has its origins in the Spanish region of Valencia. In addition to rice and vegetables, it contains chicken, pork ribs, and rabbit – prepared with seafood and fish, it is just one common variant. Common vegetables include tomatoes, red peppers, onions, green beans, broad kidney beans, and artichoke hearts. In our recipe for vegetarian paella, you will also find eggplant, zucchini, and chickpeas. Special paella rice like Arroz Bomba or long grain rice is ideal for the preparation. It is important that the rice is still al dente after cooking, so very starchy varieties such as risotto rice are less suitable.
Otherwise, salt, fresh garlic, saffron, and rosemary are used in the classic Paella Valenciana. As saffron is a very expensive spice, the bright orange hue can alternatively be achieved with paprika powder or turmeric.
To prepare paella recipes in the traditional way, you need a special pan: the so-called paellera. It is usually made of sheet steel, but there are also variants made of clay, enamelled or Teflon-coated stainless steel or aluminium. It has two handles on the sides and has a slightly higher, inwardly beveled rim. The diameter depends on the number of people to be served: a diameter of 40 centimeters is recommended for six people.
You can cook the paella in the oven or on the stove, originally it was cooked over a wood fire. First, wash the vegetables and cut the peppers into strips, slice the garlic and dice the onions. The artichoke hearts are quartered, and the skinned tomatoes are later rubbed into the dish.
Chop the bone-in meat into bite-sized pieces and heat in the paella pan with refined olive oil. Now the vegetables are added and mixed with the meat. Pour broth or water over meat and vegetables and season to taste. After searing, turn the heat down. This allows all the ingredients to cook without burning. The mixture has to simmer a little before the rice is spread over it in a cross shape. Give the paella ingredients a final stir so the rice is completely covered with broth.
The paella must now cook until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked. The traditional version of the dish also involves the rice frying a little on the bottom. However, it must never burn, but should only form a crispy layer, which is also called socarrat. Finally, the paella is sprinkled with a little lemon juice and served with white bread.
