Latest revision as of 11:32, 16 June 2025

Paella Valenciana

A traditional Sunday dish from Valencia, often cooked over open fire. This version is adapted from Omar Allibhoy and based on the methods of Valencian chefs and home cooks.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2–3 globe artichokes, cleaned and trimmed
1 g saffron
1 tbsp salt
8 tbsp Spanish olive oil (extra virgin)
400 g chicken pieces (on the bone; e.g. 2 thighs, halved)
400 g rabbit pieces (on the bone)
200 g runner beans, trimmed and cut into short pieces
100 g broad beans or fresh white butter beans
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, grated
1/2 tsp sweet pimentón
2 l water or light chicken stock
500 g Spanish rice (such as calasparra or bomba)
1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

Trim artichokes down to the hearts. Remove the fuzzy choke and rub the hearts with lemon to prevent browning.
Wrap saffron in foil and toast it in a paella pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side. Set aside.
Raise heat to high. Sprinkle salt around the edges of the pan. When hot, add oil. Once it starts to smoke, add the chicken and rabbit. Brown well on all sides (about 15 minutes).
Add runner beans and broad beans. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, pimentón, and toasted saffron. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato juice is mostly gone.
Pour in the water or stock. Simmer for 20 minutes (or 5 minutes if using stock), scraping the bottom to release any browned bits. Adjust salt—it should taste slightly too salty.
Cut artichokes into quarters and add. Add rice in an even layer. Stir once to distribute.
Cook over high heat for 10–12 minutes. Reduce to low and cook another 5–7 minutes. Do not stir again.
When liquid level drops below the rice, add rosemary. If the top layer looks dry, cover the pan with newspaper for the last 5 minutes to steam the top.
Let rest 5 minutes before serving. The bottom should form a golden crust (socarrat).

Notes

The dish should finish as a flat, even layer of rice.
The socarrat (crispy bottom layer) is prized in traditional paella.
Avoid stirring once rice has been added to maintain an even surface and allow proper steaming.

Source

Adapted from Tapas Revolution by Omar Allibhoy Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_dDUw_QuDU Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/30/20-best-spanish-recipes-part-2-ofm-paella-seafood

Formatted to Recipe Style Guide on 12:11, 16 June 2025 (PDT) by ChatGPT

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-===Omar Allibhoy’s Paella Valenciana: ‘the’ paella===
+= Paella Valenciana =
-[[File:paella-valenciana.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Paella Valenciana]]
+[[File:paella-valenciana.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Paella Valenciana]]
-This famous Spanish dish is our equivalent of the Sunday roast, a dish that brings friends and family together. If the weather allows, we cook it on an open fire – you are rewarded with an amazing smoky aroma. This paella recipe is the fruit both of my own investigations and those of top Valencian chefs and grandmothers. Follow this recipe and I guarantee you will soon be tasting the best paella. Buen provecho!
+A traditional Sunday dish from Valencia, often cooked over open fire. This version is adapted from Omar Allibhoy and based on the methods of Valencian chefs and home cooks.
-Serves 6
+Serves: 6
- '''globe artichokes''' 2-3 (depending on the size), cleaned and trimmed
- '''saffron''' 1g
- '''salt''' 1 tbsp
- '''Spanish olive oil''' 8 tbsp (extra virgin)
- '''chicken pieces (on the bone)''' 400g (2 chicken thighs, bone and skin, cut in half)
- '''rabbit pieces (on the bone)''' 400g
- '''runner beans''' 200g, trimmed and cut into 2½cm pieces
- '''broad beans or fresh white butter beans''' 100g
- '''garlic cloves''' 4, finely chopped
- '''tomatoes''' 1 large or 2 small, grated
- '''sweet pimentón''' 1/2 tsp
- '''water or light chicken stock''' 2 litres
- '''Spanish rice''' 500g, such as calasparra or bomba (short-grain rice)
- '''rosemary''' 1 sprig
-First prepare the artichokes. Trim the stalks and peel away the outer leaves so you are just left with the artichoke hearts. Scrape away any furry choke with a teaspoon, then run a lemon half over the hearts so they don’t discolour.
+== Ingredients ==
-Wrap the saffron in foil and toast it for 30 seconds on each side in a paella pan over a medium heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.
+* 2–3 globe artichokes, cleaned and trimmed
+* 1 g saffron
+* 1 tbsp salt
+* 8 tbsp Spanish olive oil (extra virgin)
+* 400 g chicken pieces (on the bone; e.g. 2 thighs, halved)
+* 400 g rabbit pieces (on the bone)
+* 200 g runner beans, trimmed and cut into short pieces
+* 100 g broad beans or fresh white butter beans
+* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
+* 1 large or 2 small tomatoes, grated
+* 1/2 tsp sweet pimentón
+* 2 l water or light chicken stock
+* 500 g Spanish rice (such as calasparra or bomba)
+* 1 sprig rosemary
-Increase the heat to the maximum and season around the edges of the pan with the table salt. Wait until the pan is really hot and then drizzle with the olive oil. It should start smoking immediately; at this point throw in the pieces of chicken and rabbit (the meat needs to absorb the salt at this early stage). Fry the meat until nicely browned on all sides (this will add to the flavour of the paella). High heat, until browned, 15 minutes.
+== Instructions ==
-Add the runner beans and broad beans and stir together for 1 minute before adding the garlic. Cook for 1 minute and then add the grated tomatoes (discarding the skin), pimentón and toasted saffron. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring all the time, until you can see that the tomatoes have lost most of the juice and changed colour.
+# Trim artichokes down to the hearts. Remove the fuzzy choke and rub the hearts with lemon to prevent browning.
+# Wrap saffron in foil and toast it in a paella pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side. Set aside.
+# Raise heat to high. Sprinkle salt around the edges of the pan. When hot, add oil. Once it starts to smoke, add the chicken and rabbit. Brown well on all sides (about 15 minutes).
+# Add runner beans and broad beans. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, pimentón, and toasted saffron. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato juice is mostly gone.
+# Pour in the water or stock. Simmer for 20 minutes (or 5 minutes if using stock), scraping the bottom to release any browned bits. Adjust salt—it should taste slightly too salty.
+# Cut artichokes into quarters and add. Add rice in an even layer. Stir once to distribute.
+# Cook over high heat for 10–12 minutes. Reduce to low and cook another 5–7 minutes. Do not stir again.
+# When liquid level drops below the rice, add rosemary. If the top layer looks dry, cover the pan with newspaper for the last 5 minutes to steam the top.
+# Let rest 5 minutes before serving. The bottom should form a golden crust (socarrat).
-Add the water or chicken stock and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, allowing the bits of caramelised chicken and vegetable on the bottom of the pan to dissolve so you get a rich stock. If you use chicken stock instead of water you will only need to simmer for 5 minutes. Check the seasoning but bear in mind that the rice will absorb a lot of saltiness, so it’s okay if it tastes quite salty at this stage.
+== Notes ==
-Cut the artichokes into quarters and add to the pan – if you add them any earlier the entire paella will turn dark in colour. Add the rice, spreading it evenly over the paella pan and stir just once. Cook on the highest heat for about 10-12 minutes before reducing the heat right down and cooking for a further 5-7 minutes. Once you have added the rice and given it a good stir you shouldn’t touch the pan with a spoon again. You need to keep the film that develops on the top of the stock from breaking, otherwise the steam will escape and the rice won’t cook evenly.
+* The dish should finish as a flat, even layer of rice.
+* The socarrat (crispy bottom layer) is prized in traditional paella.
+* Avoid stirring once rice has been added to maintain an even surface and allow proper steaming.
-When the water is at a lower level than the rice itself, add the rosemary sprig. If the layer of rice on the top starts to look a bit crispy, cover the paella pan with a layer of newspaper for the last 5 minutes of cooking. This will help to steam the grains on top while the bottom gets crispy. In Spain this crispy bottom layer, the ‘socarrat’, is the most valuable part of the paella. Once the paella is finished it should look like a completely flat layer of rice. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
+== Source ==
-From Tapas Revolution by Omar Allibhoy (Ebury, RRP £20). Click here to buy a copy from Guardian Bookshop for £16; tapasrevolution.com
+Adapted from Tapas Revolution by Omar Allibhoy
+Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_dDUw_QuDU
+Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/30/20-best-spanish-recipes-part-2-ofm-paella-seafood
-https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/30/20-best-spanish-recipes-part-2-ofm-paella-seafood
+[[Category:Poultry]]
+[[Category:Meat]]
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_dDUw_QuDU
+''Formatted to [[Recipe Style Guide]] on 12:11, 16 June 2025 (PDT) by ChatGPT''