Valencian Paella

La storia di questo piatto

Paella Valenciana is the golden soul of Valencia, a single wide pan where rice, chicken, rabbit, green beans and garrofó, the broad white bean of the region's gardens, gather around saffron. It is a dish of the land and the table, made to be shared straight from the pan.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Bomba rice
• 600 g Chicken, cut into pieces
• 400 g Rabbit, cut into pieces
• 200 g Green beans
• 100 g Garrofó (large white beans, already cooked)
• 1.6 liter Vegetable or chicken broth
• 200 g Peeled tomatoes
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Sweet paprika
• 1 pinch Saffron threads
• 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 100 ml Water for the saffron

Preparazione

1. Place the saffron in a bowl with the water for the saffron (100 ml, as listed) at lukewarm temperature. Wait about 10 minutes, until the water takes on an intense, bright yellow-orange color. Meanwhile, pour the vegetable or chicken broth (1.6 liters) into a small saucepan and keep it over low heat: it should stay hot and barely trembling, with tiny bubbles rising from the bottom without boiling vigorously.
2. In a wide paella pan (about 40 cm) pour the olive oil and set the heat to medium-high. When the oil begins to shimmer slightly (or a piece of bread tossed in fries immediately), add the chicken and rabbit. Let them brown without touching for 4–5 minutes, then turn the pieces with tongs and continue until the whole surface is dark and browned (another 3–4 minutes). Finally, season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the green beans cut into 3–4 cm pieces and the garrofó (already cooked), together with the minced garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon and sauté for 4–5 minutes, until the green beans turn a deeper green and begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant but not browned. (Non-traditional but common variation: you may add half a finely chopped onion.)
4. Sprinkle the sweet paprika over the whole pan and stir quickly for about 30–60 seconds, without letting it sit on the hot bottom, otherwise it will burn and turn bitter. Once well incorporated, immediately add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them with the spoon, and cook for 3–4 minutes until the sauce reduces and the oil rises to the edges.
5. Pour the bomba rice into the pan and stir continuously for 2 minutes to toast it: when the edges of the grains begin to turn translucent and glassy while the center remains opaque and white, the rice is ready for the broth. Spread it evenly across the whole pan.
6. Pour in the hot vegetable or chicken broth: about 1.2 liters at once, stirring just once to distribute the rice evenly, and set aside the remaining 400 ml warm in the saucepan. Keep the heat medium-high and wait for the liquid to boil vigorously across the entire surface.
7. Pour the yellow saffron water over the whole surface. FROM THIS POINT ON, DO NOT STIR. Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for 18–20 minutes without touching anything, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the socarrat forms: the bubbles will disappear and the rice will dry out. If after about 10–12 minutes the rice is still hard and the liquid is running low, add a little of the remaining broth (the 400 ml set aside), a little at a time, without stirring. The rice is ready when it is tender to the bite (taste a grain from the edge) and no moisture remains on the surface. In the last 2 minutes raise the heat slightly: you will hear a light crackling from the bottom, which is the socarrat, the golden, crispy crust, never black or burnt.
8. Turn off the heat. Cover the paella with a sheet of aluminum foil and let it rest undisturbed for 5 minutes: the residual heat will finish the cooking and the flavors will blend. Bring it to the table directly in the pan.