Yes, here it is the world famous spanish recipe. As few months ago I criticized the rize & chorizo recipe for being called paella I feel like I should say how a paella is. Though there is a lot of controversy about what paella is, here is a common and minimum recipe that gather the essentials. Main objective of Paella, a side of obvious mixture of rice, fumets, vegetables and fish or meet, a side of this is to get 3 (three ) different textures of rice. This is the issue a paella must solve, the textures of rice gotten by managing time, fire and fumet quantity.
Textures: Dry and cooked rice, 80% of rice at paella should be just well cooked, nor hard neither paste. 15% hard, a bit crusty, this is the rice you see on surface and at borders. And finally , the gold medal, the touch of great paelleros: The Socarrat, this is a thin skin of almost burned rice and fumet, at center of pan, I'll try to explain how to get it.
We have 3 components for every paella
- rice
- fumet (from fish, shell fish, prawns, lobster. Or vegetables Or chicken or rabbit)
- anexos solids parts Related with previous fumets, fishes or shell fishes, vegetables or as today recipe chicken.
Today´s is one of the most usuals Chicken and garrofon (garronfon a green bean, don´t know if this is the correct translation) Any way as I haven't garrofon I´ve used Asparagus, green asparagus.
Chef's notes
Fumet quantity is extremely important.
Here is the rule:
150 gr. rice a person.
Rice needs three times in weight of water.
So 4person by 120 gr by 3 times= 1 liter and a half of FUMET.
Quality of water is another important issue. Hard water (higher concetration of calcium) is better than soft. If unsure use bottled water with hight mineralization.
Why is so important the quantity: Is neccesary to use exact water at begining of boling as posterior addition is not a good idea and if it take short then rice would ot get cooked, being hard. opposite if excess of water then rice became over cooked and pasted.
Yes, the three textures are not easy.
Steps
1
Caldo de Pollo, chicken fumet
Ingredients
Bones of 1 cicken,
water 1,5 litre
onion, 150 g
carrod, 200gr
Boil all ingredients for 30 minutes.
release foam and dirties over surface. degrease and it keep it warm mean while other steps are done.
I use to have freeze fumet , so I haven't got photos. The photo attached show color and textures that fumet must have.
Fumet quantity is extremely important. here is the rule
150 gr. rice a person.
Rice needs three times in weight of water.
So 4person by 120 gr by 3 times= 1 liter and a half of FUMET.
Quality of water is another important issue. Hard water (higher concentration of calcium) is better than soft. If unsure use bottled water with hight mineralization.
Yes, the three textures are not easy.
2
Sofrito, minimum sofrito
Ingredients
Tomato 1kg
Olive oil, extra vigen, 100cc
Sofrito is usually made of a bunch of vegetables, fried slowly with olive oil. But this a minimum version for shake of simplicity and , I prefer,there is not vegetable debris between rice.
So only tomato.
- peel of tomatoes
- release seeds
- cut into very little pieces
- cook slowly till it reduce to a 25% loosing water, till a dark paste.
3
Chop chicken
Ingredients
1 cicken 1,500 kilos.
The better the chicken the best are the results.
Chop it into pieces mid size. As bones has been used for caldo, this pieces are almost bones free.
4
Frying pieces of chicken
Very hot clean olive oil.
fry every piece till brown, not all together.
5
Degrease chicken pieces
release the grease.
6
The Paella, I mean the pan
One of the more characterictics items of paella is the pan, called it self Paella.
It´s needed that it has a wide surface and not very tall.
this permit the correct water evaporation.
7
Wide fire
A wide fire is needed, O any kind of surface providing fire. A wide vitroceramic or induction could do.
It obvious that heat must be as regular al possible for the whole Paella (pan)
8
The rice
The rice, here a bag of it, from valencia it´s typical, you know paella valenciana , there are others as good as this.
9
The rice
Watch this kind of rice, its important the type of rice, this is called rice Bomba, as it absorbs two o three times its volume in water.
It's has not any kind of manipulation.
Look for it.
10
Pooring rice into pan
poor rice into pan, a hand full for person or 120 gr.
11
pre cook rice
Ingredients
100 cc Olive oil
give a frying minute to the rice.
just to oil a bit. try no to brown the rice.
take out the excess of oil, leave a bit.
12
Begining the show, all together
With medium fire, poor tomato into pan and rice.
13
Azafran, safron
Ingredients
safron, a few debris
One of the most important ingredients, Spanish saffron, not other country,
14
Smash safron with salt
Ingredients
a bit of salt
smash safron and salt it into powder
15
safron and fumet
mess up saffron powder and a bit of fumet.
16
preparing aspargus
give a minute of microwave oven, just to soft a bit.
17
Pooring chicken into pan
Still with medum fire, watch not to burn ingreientes, poor fryied chicken.
give it a heat.
18
pooring fumet
Have the fumet hot, boiling, 3 minutes at microwave if you keep it hot.
Previous to poor fumet put fire as hight as posible, hear thing complaining crick, prssf, chuff for a few secconds, here begins socarrat mistery.
19
pouring the safraon infusion
Just after fumet, pour safron infusion.
20
No more playing, alea jacta est.
Now all ingredients are into pan.
give it a shake, last shake, just for leveling.
try to have pan as leveled as posible.
10 minutes, hard fire.
21
after 10 minutes, salt time
After 10 minutes this should be the view. If more water give it a few minutes with hard fire, if less water just pour a bit.
Taste for salt, if low give it a bit, think that still there is water to be evaporated, so think in concentration.
Watch the withe spot at inner part of rice, almos done. But still a bit hard.
This is the reference, exterior grains of rice must have this white spot, inner ones are more coocked. be careful.
Now, reduce fire to the minimum that keeps a bit of boiling at center of pan: chup,chup, chup.
Keep it for 5 minutes.
22
Almost done
Another vew of this step, still 5 minutes, low fire.
23
Finaly,
When water is not visible, give hard fire for a minute, smell it for not burning it and hear it "criping" and "chuffing" just try to get the down side rusted, almost burned, this is the socarrat.
after this, cover with a piece of cloth to absorbs excess of mist,
5 minutes covered,
24
Serve it.
With a plane spoon, try to scract from bottom of paella, rising some socarrat. mix diferent parts of paella for every dish.
A young red wine, full of color and body, malotactics or carbonics and no or very few time of wood, is suitable for this paella rice with chicken
buen provecho.
9 Comments
Joe G•Rouxbe Staff•
Just kidding of course. Nice effort Jesus. I'm going to give this a whirl sometime soon. I'll let you know how it goes.
That is by far the most detailed step breakdown of a recipe I have ever seen.
Phenomenal. Even a lamo like me could probably make this one, I would know exactly what it's supposed to look like.
Bravo! And great pictures...
First off, thanks so much for the excellent instructions and details!
For the quantities you have described, what size Paella do you recommend? Also, I've seen the pans in many different types (Carbon Steel, Stainless, cast iron, non-stick, etc). What type do you recommend?
Hi,
Thanks all for your interest. But it's mandatory you try it, so if you came to Spain you'll easily recognize those ...... tourist feeders places with glowing yellow rice and lot of lemon on it, avoid them.
About sizes and types.
measuring base diameter, this could be the rule:
servings - Diameter (cms)
4 -> 30
6 -> 34
10 -> 42
I have set of sizes.
Types:
- Polished Steel, the most usual ones and the one I used in the recipe. but this tend to get rust and must be oiled when not used.
- Smalted
- Inox Steel
- Antiadherents (teflon)
No matter,
Here a set of types as examples.
http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-4
http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-3A
http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-3
http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-2
The most usual and cheaper ones
http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp
I don't know this people, It's just they provide good information for shake of clarification. If this info is not acceptable please delete it
best regards.
I like the idea of the steel pan, like the one you use. I'm not worried about rusting as I'll deal with it the same way I keep my hammered steel Wok from rusting.
Can't wait!
A fantastic recipe, I love your description of the sounds. I was taught to make Paella in Valencis, Spain and they would only use water from the region (a bit difficult in the US or UK)!
The best Paellas I have ever eaten have been cooked over wood out of doors. This is now the only way I will ever cook them and even brought a Paella BBQ back from Spain.
It takes a little longer but is a great way to cook for guests, be part of the party and relax with some tapas, sherry, cava and rioja while it is cooking.
Thank you , I ve been to Barcelona some years ago and I had the great pleasure to eat in a family owned restaurant on the Costa Brava.
Now I've got the recipe ! with some great spicy patatas as apetizers an a nice bottle of "Fostino#1 ! Un vrai régal : )
Patrick B • Rouxbe Staff •That is by far the most detailed step breakdown of a recipe I have ever seen. Phenomenal. Even a lamo like me could probably make this one, I would know exactly what it's supposed to look like. Bravo! And great pictures...
Patrick O •First off, thanks so much for the excellent instructions and details! For the quantities you have described, what size Paella do you recommend? Also, I've seen the pans in many different types (Carbon Steel, Stainless, cast iron, non-stick, etc). What type do you recommend?
Jesus G •Hi, Thanks all for your interest. But it's mandatory you try it, so if you came to Spain you'll easily recognize those ...... tourist feeders places with glowing yellow rice and lot of lemon on it, avoid them. About sizes and types. measuring base diameter, this could be the rule: servings - Diameter (cms) 4 -> 30 6 -> 34 10 -> 42 I have set of sizes. Types: - Polished Steel, the most usual ones and the one I used in the recipe. but this tend to get rust and must be oiled when not used. - Smalted - Inox Steel - Antiadherents (teflon) No matter, Here a set of types as examples. http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-4 http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-3A http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-3 http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp?Referencia=REF-2 The most usual and cheaper ones http://www.paelleraselcid.com/enlaces/plantilla.asp I don't know this people, It's just they provide good information for shake of clarification. If this info is not acceptable please delete it best regards.
Candace B •A fantastic recipe, I love your description of the sounds. I was taught to make Paella in Valencis, Spain and they would only use water from the region (a bit difficult in the US or UK)! The best Paellas I have ever eaten have been cooked over wood out of doors. This is now the only way I will ever cook them and even brought a Paella BBQ back from Spain. It takes a little longer but is a great way to cook for guests, be part of the party and relax with some tapas, sherry, cava and rioja while it is cooking.