Paella Valenciana is an iconic rice dish from the Valencia region of Spain. Its traditional recipe includes chicken and/or rabbit, green beans, broad beans (garrofón) and other fresh vegetables.

Its basic ingredients include bomba rice and saffron, which gives the dish a special yellow hue.

This dish is one of the most important parts of Valencian gastronomy, deeply embedded in local traditions, which is why Valencians are very strict about its preparation, methodology, and ingredients.

The main ingredients are: chicken and rabbit meat, green beans, broad beans, bomba rice, saffron, tomatoes and the characteristic smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera). The saffron and paprika together give the dish a rich, aromatic flavour, while the browned, crispy layer that forms at the bottom of the pan – the famous socarrat – provides a special texture.

Its preparation requires some attention, but it is not complicated: the most important thing - as always - is to obtain the best quality ingredients possible.

Let's see how it's made!

Servings: 6

Preparation time: approx. 60 minutes

Ingredients:

Paella pan, or a wide and flat pan, about 35-40 cm in diameter.

0.5 g saffron
1 tablespoon coarse salt
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
400 g skin-on-bone chicken, cut into small pieces
400 g boneless rabbit meat (if not available, double the amount of chicken)
200 g flat green beans, cleaned and cut into 3-4 cm pieces
100 g fresh butter beans or kidney beans (or canned, but not dry beans)
2-3 artichokes, cleaned and peeled (or canned)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large tomato, grated
1 teaspoon sweet, smoked paprika
2 liters of water or light chicken stock
500 g Spanish bomba rice
1 rosemary sprig

Preparation:

1. Wrap a small pinch of saffron in aluminum foil and toast each side of the "package" over medium heat for 10-15 seconds per side in a medium-hot paella pan. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Turn the heat up to high and sprinkle coarse salt into the pan. Wait until the pan is very hot, then add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Immediately add the chicken and rabbit pieces (the meat should absorb the salt at this early stage). Fry the meat until it is nicely browned on all sides (this adds a lot to the flavour of the paella).

3. Move the meat pieces to the edge, lower the heat slightly and add the green beans and the horse or butter beans, as well as the quartered artichoke hearts. and fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic, fry this for half a minute too, being careful not to burn it.

Add the smoked paprika, then the grated tomatoes (without the skin). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until you can see that the tomatoes have lost their juice and changed color slightly.

4. Add the water or chicken stock and stir in the saffron crumbled in your palm.

5. Pour the paella rice into the pan and stir gently to distribute evenly. Bring to a boil over high heat for about 10 minutes, checking the seasoning as you go, but remember that the rice absorbs a lot of salt, so it's okay if it still tastes quite salty at this stage. After the 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 5-6 minutes.

Important : after adding the rice and mixing well, do not touch the pan with the spoon or stir !

6. When the water level is lower than the rice (the liquid has almost completely evaporated), add the rosemary sprig. If the top layer of rice seems a little crispy, cover the paella pan for the last few minutes. This will help the top layer of rice steam while the bottom layer crisps up (and forms the socarrat ). When the paella is done, there should be a completely flat layer of rice in the pan.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

When serving, take food from all parts of the pan onto each plate, including the edges, the middle, and of course the crispy bottom.

Enjoy!