Description
True paella Valenciana comes from the rice fields around Valencia and is nothing like the seafood-loaded tourist version served elsewhere. The original is a land dish: chicken, rabbit, green beans, and butter beans cooked with short-grain rice tinted golden with saffron. The measure of a great paella is the socarrat, the caramelized crust of rice that forms on the bottom of the pan. It is not burned — it is the prize.
Ingredients
Units
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound bone-in chicken thighs, cut into pieces
- 8 ounces rabbit pieces (or additional chicken thighs)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces flat green beans (judias verdes), trimmed and snapped in half
- 4 ounces butter beans (garrofon) or large lima beans
- 1 medium ripe tomato, grated on a box grater (skin discarded)
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
- Generous pinch of saffron threads (about 1/2 gram), steeped in 2 tablespoons warm water
- 4 1/2 cups chicken stock, warmed
- 2 cups bomba or calasparra rice (do not substitute long-grain)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 15-inch paella pan or wide, shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken and rabbit pieces with salt. Sear in the hot oil for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on all sides. Remove to a plate.
- In the same oil, add the green beans and butter beans. Saute for 3-4 minutes until the green beans blister in spots. Push them to the edges of the pan.
- Add the grated tomato to the center of the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the tomato darkens and the moisture cooks out. Add the paprika and stir for 30 seconds.
- Return the meat to the pan. Pour in the warm stock and the saffron with its soaking liquid. Add the rosemary sprig. Bring to a boil and let it cook on medium-high for 15 minutes to develop the broth. Taste and adjust salt.
- Sprinkle the rice evenly across the pan in a uniform layer. Do not stir the rice after this point — this is the cardinal rule of paella. Distribute the beans and meat evenly.
- Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, then reduce to medium-low for another 8-10 minutes. The rice should absorb the liquid. In the last 2-3 minutes, increase the heat to high to develop the socarrat — listen for a faint crackling sound from the bottom.
- Remove from heat, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or foil, and rest for 5 minutes. Serve directly from the pan.
Notes
- Bomba or calasparra rice is essential — these short-grain varieties absorb liquid without turning mushy. Arborio is an acceptable substitute but not ideal; never use long-grain rice.
- Do not stir the rice once it is added to the pan. Stirring releases starch and turns paella into risotto. The rice should cook undisturbed in a thin, even layer.
- The socarrat is developed by increasing the heat at the very end. You should smell a faint toasting aroma and hear crackling — but if you smell burning, pull it off immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Protein: 29g