The paella is the national dish of Spain and can be prepared in many variations: meat, fish, mixed, vegetarian. There Paella Valenciana, among many others, is considered the original one, but for each family there is a different version of the recipe, which provides for the addition or not of peppers, snow peas or green beans, chopped or grated tomatoes, smaller or larger quantities of rabbit meat or chicken. The basis, however, is always the same: rabbit and chicken meat, vegetables and broth cooked with rice that is always slightly al dente. If the recipe can be varied, the procedure, however, is untouchable: once the rice is mixed with the mixture, this it should not be touched again until cooked through. Paella was born as a poor dish, a way to use up leftovers with the addition of vegetables and rice. For the vegetable broth that you will need during the process, try this recipe! Our version of the recipe, even if it differs slightly from the traditional Valencian one, is very tasty and recalls Spanish flavors and aromas. Try it and let us know what you think!

PREPARATION

1

Cut the rabbit and chicken meat into 3cm pieces, removing the bones and skin.

2

Rinse and clean the peppers, removing the seeds and internal filaments and cut them into coarse pieces. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and cut the green beans in half.

3

Heat the vegetable broth. Pour two ladles of broth into a bowl to dissolve the saffron sachets and set aside.

4

In a large frying pan with high edges, preferably steel, pour the olive oil and let it heat up. Then add the chicken and rabbit meat.
Sauté for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, adding salt and pepper. Move the meat to the sides of the pan and add all the vegetables to the center. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.

5

Pour the rice into the pan, forming a cross. Let it toast for a minute and then mix it together with all the other ingredients.

6

Add all the vegetable broth, including the small bowl containing the saffron. Mix thoroughly and then do not touch the rice again until cooked, maintaining a medium-low heat.

7

Eventually the liquid should have been completely absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

Accessories

1. Frying pan with high edges
2. Chopping board
3. Sharp knife

Advice and tips

Valencian paella can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, closed in an airtight container. It is not recommended to freeze it.

The most suitable variety of rice for this type of preparation is Redondo, but we have used the dwarf drivewaya type of rice much easier to find in Italy.

You can substitute green beans the jackdaws or the big dishes.

The cooking time varies according to the quality of rice used: for vialone nano it is approximately 18 minutes.

Try preparing another Spanish dish par excellence: gazpacho!

History

The name “paella” derives from the container in which this poor dish was cooked: a large pan with two small handles, with very high edges, capable of supporting the weight of the dish which mixed meat, rice and vegetables. The dish was born between the 15th and 16th centuries, when farmers began to need to prepare a dish single and substantial dish with what they had available: rabbits, chickens and vegetables, accompanied by rice, the most common cereal. Traditionally, paella should be cooked inopenplacing the pot on orange wooduseful because it manages to maintain a constant fire, necessary for the correct success of the recipe.