Paella Valenciana

Paella Valenciana

The ancient Romans called the stretch of land which lies along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, Valentia (the Strong) and gave plots of this land to deserving veterans as gifts. Over the centuries Goths, Arabs, Castilians, Aragonese and Catalans have also contributed to the regions character….the region has been characterized by a powerful dualism: the nobility…lived in feudal splendor in the mountainous hinterland, while the townspeople lived as cosmopolitan tradesmen along the coastal strip… There are even two sides to Valencia’s cuisine: on the hot fertile coastal plain the orchards and gardens are an inexhaustible source for simple and light delicacies. Meat plays a secondary role here, as fish and seafood dominate. These caught fresh off the coast are served naturally and unadulterated. Rice, which Valencians prepare imaginatively, is an indispensable part of the local cuisine. No dish has achieved as much fame as paella, which is well known far beyond Spain’s borders. In contrast, the hinterland is more barren. Here game and kid are often used in cuisine which is very earthy… Andar de paella, or in English, “to go for paella” is very much a social occasion in Valencia. Saint’s days and birthdays are celebrated, patron saints honored, and Sunday outings made complete by the famous rice pan…  The Valencian’s national dish originated in the country outside the city, and it was the agricultural workers who were the first to make a fire in the fields at lunchtime and cook rice in a flat pan. They added what they could find to that pan. They cooked snails and vegetables with rice; on special occasion’s rabbit, and later, chicken was added. Besides this “original paella,” Valencians are particularly fond of paella marinera with fish and seafood, and paella mixta, with fish, seafood and meat. Paella, however, can include liver, blood sausage, artichokes and other ingredients. Many call it paellera, [pa-eh-yerah] but deep-rooted Valencians disagree: the large pan has given the national dish its name- it must, therefore, be called paella plain and simply. The term comes from the Latin patella, a flat plate on which offerings were made to the gods. By the 16th century the Castilian word paila was being used for a vessel similar to the paella pan, while the word paella already existed in Valenciano. The large surface area of this pan is very important to the preparation of paella, since it is this that allows the liquid in which the rice is cooked to boil away, producing a lot of socarrat (or costra, in Spanish, meaning crust) the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan and is a bit brown and crunchy. - From Culinaria Spain

Paella is a great meal-in-a-pan, and the best thing about it is that there really is no formal recipe...it's whatever is fresh and in season and you can find. That's how it's done in Spain, and there are as many variations on this theme as you can imagine - meat paella (game, sausage, chicken), vegetable paella (from the growing region, featuring green beans, lima's, onions and peppers), you name it.

The only thing that is a must for paella is the Saffron. It gives the paella that unique golden color, and flavor. It is expensive, but you only need a little.

The other must is the Spanish rice. I have BOMBA brand, but any Arborio or calassparra rice will work. There are many kinds of rice and Arborio has the properties and texture to make the real deal.
 
Other than that, anything goes!

If you want to try it, check out this online store, where I get the rice and saffron. I've been buying from them for 10 years and they run a great store full of Spanish stuff:

www.latienda.com

For our National Paella Day feast, we decided (as usual) to go with our favorite, a paella de mariscos. For this, I featured seafood that my wife likes; scallops, lobster, jumbo shrimp, mussels in the center, and codfish and red snapper filets. Once I got the mis en place ready (diced onion, sliced bell peppers and the 8 or so cups of chicken broth), I measured out 3 cups of calassparra rice, put the saffron in about 1/4 cup of vinegar to steep and measured 1 teaspoon of sweet Spanish pimenton de la Vera.

My paellera is big, so I had to use both front and back burners to cook it properly. First, I browned the onions in olive oil. Once browned, I added a tablespoon of garlic and stirred that up briskly. Next, I added the rice, the broth and the paprika and then brought it to a simmer. At that point the saffron went in! I stirred that well, then added the fish filets and the scallops. Next, I added the bell peppers and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan everys so oftern.

At the 30 minute mark, I added the lobster and shrimp, and then covered it in foil for a good 15 minutes or so, still at a nice simmer; after that, about 5 minutes or so before the paella was ready, I added the mussels and refoiled. Meanwhile, I opened the wine - a nice chilled albarinho from Galicia in Spain...a craggy seacoastal area whose wines speak of the sea and go well with all manner of seafood. You can read about the wine here:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/albarino-wine_topic381.html

The paella was ready! I plated and served it, ready for a wonderful dinner. The smell is incredible....seafood, saffron, scallops, all playing together and dancing.

At the bottom of the paellera, nice layer of costra had built up in the pan...perfecto!

Yes, exactly what you want..crispy and brown, not burnt. The crust takes on a slightly toasted flavor that mixed with the saffron infused rice is indescribable.....just delicious! That is the "costra."