Context:

There is a civil war between the founders of Paella in Valencia and the rest of Spain as to what can be called a "true" Paella. The Valencianos are purists and consider Paella Mixta , common in Andalucia and many other parts of Spain, as "arroz con cosas" or "rice with things". I grew up with Paella Mixta in Andalucia and have only made this Valencian classic a few times. It is demanding technically in that it is always prepared over a live flame and the easy adjustments to a gas flame are therefore not an option. It just takes practice to learn what type and what quantities of kindling you need to have available for starting a fire quickly, and then sustaining it at diminishing intensity over 20-25 minutes.

Preview (in spanish): A Chef & A Backyard Enthusiast

A Chef

A Backyard Enthusiast

Before you start

Make sure paella pan is both centered and level. Even cooking of all the rice demands that the paella pan is centered. You also don't want to add all of the water required and then find out that by not having leveled the pan ,you aren't covering the rice and ingredients evenly when you add your stock or as teh liquid recedes

This paella is for 8 people and uses a 45 cm paella and 2.3 cups of rice. If you have a larger or a hungrier crowd, you can  easily scale.

Assemble and prepare ingredients before you start. You will be grateful you did.

Preparing the stock ingredients:(45 minutes)

Cover  80% of bottom of pan with olive oil

Create ring of salt around oil or around edge of pan to avoid burning the paella . (either folk wisdom or old wives tale)

Salt chicken thighs then brown thoroughly starting with hot oil (but not so hot we overly dry out the ingredients) & then move to perimeter of pan.

Salt the rabbit pieces then brown & move them also to perimeter

Fry chicken and rabbit livers for several miniutes and  then take out

Add in 2 inch slices of Broad Beans (Judias Verdes)…Stir constantly until soft and then move to perimeter approximately 5  minutes

Add in 1-inch pieces of Fresh Alubias Garrofon (butter beans) with Broad beans  …Stir constantly until soft and then move to perimeter

Add in Judias Blancas  …Stir constantly until soft and then move to perimeter

Fry artichoke hearts with other ingredients

Fry garlic very briefly and then quench with grated tomato when garlic is tranlucent in order to avoid burning garlic

Add sweet pimento directly to grated tomato as putting pimento directly on pan will burn this delicate ingredient

Stir  all contents. Fry until liquid evaporates and "satisfactory"degree of carmelization and "sticking to pan" is obtained

Return livers to pan

Note: The trick here is to obtain maximum carmelization and flavor from every ingredient without burning any of them. This takes some practice as to how long to cook each ingredient

Making the stock: (approx 45 minutes)

Add 3-1 ratio water

Measure and record depth of water in paella pan

Add 50% more water

Get to a simmer for approximately 45 minutes

Add saffron and stir

‍Note:This is a 45 minute "stew or caldo" that is the essence of a paella Valenciana and that will flavor the rice. To accommodate evaporation during this preliminary "stewing"we will first add in the requsiite water for a classic 3/1 water to Bomba rice ratio then measure and record the height of this water level. I measure the height of the water relative to the rivets on the handle. Others take a spoon, stand it vertically while resting on bottom of paella ,and note the depth of the water. We then add extra 50% water for this "caldo" phase to accomodate evaporation.Just make sure you that when you are ready to put in the rice, you are at the level you measured previously. If not keep on reducing stock .Conversely if you arrive at the original 3/1 level and the stew has not had 45 minutes or is not flavorful enough, simply add more water

Adding the Rice and finishing the Paella: (approx 20 minutes)

Wait until water level gets to the 3/1 ratio point we measured and recorded earlier

Check stock for salt

Then spread rice evenly throughout stock

Lay a large sprig of rosemary across paella

Add enough kindling to get a hot fire for 6 minutes

Adjust flame to medium to low and cook for 9 minutes . Maintain simmer

Carefully pick up hot paella pan,remove cooking stand and place paella on the coals for 4 minutes. This last 4 minutes will create the prized socorrat or crisp rice base

Serve with lemons

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