| Everybody who has visited Spain and more in | | | | - Salt |
| particular Valencia must have heard of the | | | | |
| famous Paella a la Valenciana. But I think | | | | - If you like it: half artichoke |
| most people don't know where the paella comes | | | | |
| from and what it means. | | | | Preparing the ingredients and the paella pan |
| | | | |
| First of all, paella is not exactly the dish | | | | The traditional way to prepare a paella is on |
| but the recipient this typical plate is | | | | a campfire but this is difficult to achieve |
| cooked in. We all have seen the paella pan | | | | at home so there is a very good alternative |
| before when visiting Spain or browsing the | | | | for this which is the double gas ring on a |
| net for paella recipes | | | | tripod with a bottle of gas. |
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| The typical paella a la valenciana was | | | | The most important points according my mother |
| "invented" in a small village called El | | | | in law when preparing the paella are: the |
| Perelló close to the city of Valencia. The | | | | fire below the paella pan must be the same on |
| unique situation of the village between a | | | | every part of the pan, you must be able to |
| natural lake with sweet water and the sea | | | | adjust the fire in 2 rings an outer and an |
| provided to the habitants of the area all | | | | inner ring and the paella must be completely |
| they needed to make a complete dish with many | | | | in balance so that when you add water the |
| of the most important vitamins and minerals | | | | level should be the same everywhere on the |
| in a balanced combination. | | | | paella pan. |
| | | | |
| With farmlands at hand where they grew rice | | | | Preparing the paella Valenciana |
| and beans, the sea for shellfish and the lake | | | | |
| for ducks together with their chickens gave | | | | Step one: 12 hours before starting to prepare |
| the people of the area all they needed to | | | | the paella put the garrofón (a type of |
| make 2 different versions of the paella a la | | | | bean typical to Valencia) in water. |
| valenciana. | | | | |
| | | | Step 2: Put the olive oil in the pan and when |
| The first one is the paella made of meat. | | | | the oil is hot put in the chicken and rabbit |
| This paella is a combination of chicken and | | | | and fry them until they have this golden |
| duck together with rice, lemon, olive oil, | | | | look. We should try to distribute the pieces |
| beans and saffron. But nowadays the duck is | | | | of meat evenly in the paella pan. |
| most of the times substituted by rabbit which | | | | |
| is a lot easier to get and cheaper. | | | | Step 3: Now we put in the different beans and |
| | | | the garrofón and fry them. If we want to |
| This type of paella is still very popular | | | | add alcachofa (artichoke) we can add it now |
| amongst the people of Valencia and it is very | | | | also. Make sure the fire is not very intense |
| common to hear people say: "Sunday I am going | | | | but neither to low. |
| to eat paella with my parents". | | | | |
| | | | Step 4: Add to the paella the red paprika |
| In the old days the paella was served in the | | | | powder and the natural tomato and mix them |
| paella pan and all who joined in at the table | | | | with the other ingredients. |
| ate from the same pan with wooden spoons. | | | | |
| Today most people prefer to have their | | | | Step 5: After a few minutes we add water to |
| portion on a plate. | | | | the paella. This is another crucial step in |
| | | | preparing a tasteful paella. If we add to |
| Another typical paella was the one made of | | | | much water, the paella will be to weak and if |
| seafood, Paella de marisco. This paella is | | | | we add to little the rice will not be boiled |
| made of rice and seafood. The used | | | | sufficiently. But there is a small insiders |
| ingredients are: sepia, calamares, lobster, | | | | trick to know what the right level is. On the |
| mejillón o clotxina, garlic, lemon, rice, | | | | outside of the paella pan there are 2 grips |
| saffron, olive oil and beans ( octopus, squid | | | | attached. They are attached to the pan with |
| and mussel) Clotxina is a smaller variation | | | | rivets who are clearly visible on the inside |
| of the regular mussel. | | | | of the pan. This is the level of the water |
| | | | that must be added. Don't add more or less |
| The Recipe of the paella Valenciana | | | | water it will ruin your paella. |
| | | | |
| The quantities are /person | | | | Step 6: Put the fire intensity on high but |
| | | | not to high. We leave the paella now boiling |
| - Chicken (150 grs.) | | | | for 3 - 5 minutes and then we lower the |
| | | | intensity of the fire to medium. Try the |
| - Rabit (150 grs.) | | | | paella and if needed add salt to it. Leave |
| | | | the paella this way for about 13 - 17 minutes |
| - Red paprika powder. | | | | depending on the type of rice you used. |
| | | | |
| - Saffron | | | | Step 7: A step that is forgotten by most |
| | | | people, turn out the fire and cover the |
| - 3 table spoons of natural tomato | | | | paella with kitchen paper and leave the |
| | | | paella alone for another 5 - 10 minutes. |
| - Green beans (70 grs.). | | | | |
| | | | In the meanwhile cut a lemon in 4 and when |
| - Garrofón (a type of bean typical to | | | | the 5 or 10 minutes have passed you can put |
| Valencia (25 grs.) | | | | the lemon on the outside of the paella. |
| | | | |
| - Haricot bean (25 grs.). | | | | Serve separately with onion (my father in law |
| | | | and myself like to eat the paella with raw |
| - water | | | | onion in one hand and the spoon in the other) |
| | | | |
| - Olive oil (5 table spoons). | | | | Preferred drink to go with the paella : a red |
| | | | wine from Valencia especially from the area |
| - Rice (125 grs.) | | | | of Utiel / Requena. (other Spanish wines will |
| | | | do also of course). |