paella Valenciana

• ½ chicken, cut into equal sized pieces
sliced ​​and lightly salted
• ½ rabbit, cut into equal pieces
sliced ​​and lightly salted
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
(Pimenton de la Vera)
• Saffron powder or
Food coloring
• 1 large tomato,
cut into small pieces
• 500 g green flat beans
• 120 g Garrofò (special type of beans
from Valencia)
• 3–4 artichokes (only in winter),
Cut in pieces
• 150 g olive oil
• 600 g Bomba rice from Valencia
• some fresh rosemary sprigs
• Water
• Salt

Pour the olive oil into the middle of the paella pan, place it over an open fire, on the grill or on the side burner - if you don't have a paella cooker - and heat the oil. If the fire is too hot, sprinkle a little salt on the edge of the paella pan in any places where there is no oil to prevent it from burning. As soon as the oil starts to smoke, add the chicken and rabbit meat and brown carefully on all sides over medium heat (pictures 1 and 2). The success of the paella depends a lot on this phase. Now add the beans and, if you have them, the artichokes, and fry for a few minutes.

Make some space in the middle of the pan between the meat and the beans, add the chopped tomatoes, cook for another minute and then add the paprika. Check that the paella is really cooking at a medium heat so that the paella doesn't burn and make the paella bitter. Then pour water into the paella pan from the edge until everything is covered. After 20 minutes of cooking, check that the liquid still covers half of the rivets on the handles.

Then season with salt, the broth should be tasty and slightly salty as the rice absorbs some of the salt during cooking. Another way to check if there is enough liquid in the pan is to place a tablespoon with the spoon bowl vertically in the middle of the paella, which should be half covered.

Now it's time to incorporate the rice. To do this, place it in the pan in the shape of a large cross, so that each line extends above the stock (image 3). This will give you the perfect ratio of rice to stock to the pan - it's exactly the amount of rice the paella needs. Add saffron or food coloring to the rice and spread it outwards. Cook over high heat for 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to almost minimum, cook for a further 6 to 7 minutes and scatter a few sprigs of rosemary over the paella. If the paella has little stock left after this time, reduce the heat again for the last 3 or 4 minutes, if there is plenty of stock, increase the heat to medium. In total, the rice will cook for between 15 and 18 minutes.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving!

FIRE&FOOD Issue 2-2020