This is apparently how an authentic Paella from the Valencia region (where it was developed) is made. The claim that it is the authentic version was made on an Alicante website and it also appears to match precisely the one that we ate in Parcent when visiting the Jalon valley. So, I am inclined to believe the claim.
I haven’t ever cooked this quantity but it looks big. A cup of rice is ample for 3 people so this would serve 8 and you’d need an appropriate paella (pan).
Planning
| serves: | 8 |
| preparation time: | 30 mins |
| cooking time: | 50 mins |
Ingredients
- 1 medium chicken
- 1 medium rabbit
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 165g wide green beans (Spanish: bachoqueta)
- 130g large white lima beans (Spanish: garrafon)
- 1 tsp saffron
- 3 cups of Valencia/Paella rice
- 8 cups chicken broth or hot water
- olive oil (enough to cover the paella pan)
- salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
Method
First, heat the oil and when it is hot enough add the rabbit and chicken and fry unitl lightly browned. Then add the white and green beans and cook them together with the meat. While they are cooking, make a clearance in the middle of the paella pan and fry the chopped tomatoes until they look a little pasty. Quickly stir in the paprika then add the hot water or broth until it is almost to the top of the paella pans edge.
Cook all the ingredients for about 20 minutes over a high fire. Season to taste with salt. After 20 minutes add the rice distributing it evenly and making sure the rice is covered with liquid. The fire should be fairly high, not interrupting the boil. It takes about 20 minutes for the paella rice to cook. Do not stir the rice once you have added it to the paella pans, just change its position so that the fire gets to all patrs equally. All the broth should be absorbed when finished. Take the paella off the fire and let stand for about 10 minutes covering the top with newspaper. If the rice has been cooked correctly, the rice grains should be loose, not clumped or have a mushy texture. The rice should be toasted on the bottom of teh pan, though.
For a pleasant table presentation, small wedges of lemon can decorate the border with branches of rosemary in the middle. Traditionally, you dig into the paella with wooden spoons and eat directly from the pan.
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