Authentic Paella Valenciana Recipes

AUTHENTIC PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
• Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
• Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA

Steps:

• Rinse the rice with cold water; drain; set aside. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm. Work the garlic, parsley, curry powder, saffron threads, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock together with a mortar and pestle until a smooth liquid forms; set the seasoning liquid aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the chicken, shrimp, lobster, and clams; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Pour in the seasoning liquid.
• Stir in the rice, pour in the hot chicken stock, and simmer until the rice is nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, peas, and mussels; stir two times, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until rice is soft and flaky, about 7 minutes.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix pimenton with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil. Rub mixture all over chicken and let stand while you prepare remaining ingredients (or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• Combine broth, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small pot; crumble saffron into mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to lowest setting and cover to keep warm.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 15-inch paella pan over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook, flipping once and occasionally turning pan to ensure even cooking, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Drain fat from pan and wipe out any blackened bits.
• Return pan to medium-high heat and swirl in remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a large pinch of salt; cook, stirring often, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until grains are well-toasted and begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and wine; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Discard rosemary from reserved stock mixture and adjust seasoning as desired; add to pan. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add lima beans, broad beans, and artichoke hearts; nestle chicken into rice, skin-side up.
• Transfer to oven and bake until liquid has evaporated and rice is cooked through (top may look underdone, check just beneath for doneness), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand, covered with foil, 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oil in a pan. Add the strips of pepper and fry until they start to soften. Remove and reserve for garnish. Fry the chicken and rabbit at medium heat until golden brown, adding more oil, as necessary. Add the paprika half way through to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center, mixing them well. Add 1/2 the water making sure to cover the pan until it is 1/2 full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the snails and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan and fry for a few minutes, moving it around in the pan. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a pinch of saffron for colour. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred anymore.
• For the last 1 to 2 minutes increase the heat to medium-high, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, creating what Valencians call the "socarrat". If the rice starts to burn remove the pan from the heat immediately.
• Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper and the sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.