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Looking for a traditional
Spanish recipe? Without doubt, the best-known is going to
be the prodigious paella ... that tasty, adaptable,
gregarious dish famed throughout Spain and the World.
And, what an impressive
choice of recipes exist for a pleasurable paella: seafood,
chicken, rabbit ... or a mixture of all three! Perhaps you
are non-meat eating ... well, just opt for one of the
several vegetarian paella recipes. Bit of a health
fanatic? Then substitute white rice for whole-grain rice
or wild rice.
Got a large family and not
much money to feed them on? Use plenty of rice and
imagination along with a tasty stock, plus whatever you
can find in the cupboard! I have certainly enjoyed many
paellas where there have been more bones/shells than meat/
seafood! And, very tasty they have been too, the richness
of the company more than compensating for any paucity in
the ingrediants.
So ... how do you go about
making the perfect paella? First of all, you need to
choose your rice. The short-grained rice from Valencia -
where most Spanish rice originates - is fine for making
paellas. However, the "bomba" rice grown in the
neighboring region of Murcia, is the "king" of
paella rice: again, short-grained, it has the ability to
absorb the stock whilst remaining firm.
Another "must" is
to use saffron ("azafrán") to create the
gentle, yellow color for which this delectable dish is
renowned. Yes, it is possible to buy cheaper, artificial
colorings but ... go for the traditional - it will bestow
a wonderful aroma and unique flavor.
Many Spaniards swear a
perfect paella can only be achieved when using a tasty,
home-made stock. Whatever you decide, allow at least
double the amount of liquid to rice. If, during cooking,
the dish becomes a little dry, just add a dash more water
or stock.
Another tip I have been
told, on more than one occasion, is to gently fry the rice
for a few minutes before adding the stock, ensuring that
it is well-coated in oil. I think all Spaniards would
agree that, once cooked, it is best to leave your paella
to stand for a good five minutes before serving.
Perhaps the most important
ingrediant for making that perfect paella, is to use
lashings and lashings of love whilst preparing it - for
surely, that is something we can all afford - and to enjoy
to the full the marvellous company of those who will share
it with you.
I shall now have to choose
a paella recipe to offer you as an example! I think I will
opt for a seafood paella, typical of the region of
Valencia, where I live. The ingrediants are for a hearty
four servings. If you are not a hefty eater, or on a diet,
then reduce the amount of rice/stock slightly.
Paella Valenciana - Paella
From Valencia
Ingrediants:
- 4 cups rice.
- 8 cups fish stock.
- 8 king-sized
prawns/langoustines.
- 8 mussels.
- 200 gr shrimps.
- 200 gr peas (fresh or
frozen).
- 2 tomatoes, skinned and
chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly
sliced.
- 3 strands saffron,
crumbled.
- Olive oil for frying.
Method:
- Sauté garlic in a
paella-type pan.
- Add tomatoes, peas,
shrimps and saffron.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Add rice and stock.
- Simmer for approximately
20 minutes.
- Decorate with prawns and
mussels.
- Cover paella with a lid.
- Poach the seafood for a
few minutes.
- Decorate paella with
lemon quarters.
- Enjoy!
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About
The Author
Linda
Plummer is English, and has lived on the
Costa Blanca in Spain for 20 years. She is
webmistress of the information-rich site: http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com
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