The Paella Valenciana

The Paella is a well-known and very old traditional dish, which can be found on the menu charts of restaurants all around the world. Originally, the dish was created in Valencia, through the inventiveness of the local farming community .

At the beginning of the XVIII Century it was already renown, as a popular recipe. At the end of the 18th Century, the dish was prepared in many taverns and beach kiosks in Valencia and Alicante. Soon after, it was to be diffused on a national level.

The Valencia area was and still is a very rich area for kitchen gardens that supply a great deal of fresh vegetables. During the said period, it was also customary to keep both chickens and rabbits for family use. Furthermore, in the surrounding areas, rice was cultivated, as well as, the availability of fish and shellfish in the nearby coastal zones. Therefore, the local farming community prepared this humble dish with all the products they had and were easy to obtain.

The "Paella" and not "Paellera" , who in the Valencia tradition is the lady that prepares the Paella, although The Royal Accademy of the Spanish language permits both meanings, is a wide shallow pan with handles, made of stainless steel. A long time ago, this utensil was adopted by the people of Valencia to prepare dishes with a rice base, and now the name "Paella" identifies the recipe.

Preparation

Put the olive oil in the pan and heat at a low temperature. Subsequently, add the rabbit and chicken in pieces , fry for 30 minutes and cook in white wine, until it evaporates. Add little by little the vegetable broth which has been prepared separately. Then add salt and pepper.

When the meat is well browned, add the vegetables, the red pepper in small pieces, the pea pods trimmed at the edges and the white beans. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the tomato sauce, the paprika and pepper powder to flavour the dish ; continue to add the broth and stir to amalgamate the ingredients. Successively, add the rice, distributing it in an uniform manner. At this point, it must no longer be stirred, so that the liquid can easily be absorbed.

At first, cook at a low temperature for approximately 7/8 minutes, then proceed for another 10 minutes at medium temperature, to enable the rice to dry. Finally, pour over the rice, the Saffron that has been previously dissolved in a smal quanity of broth. Stir with care and lastly savour with some pepper.

In Valencia, before serving the Paella, it is customary to leave it to rest for a few minutes, when taken off the stove, in order that the rice completes its cooking time and fully absorps the broth.