Spanish Food: How To Make The Perfect Paella

Looking for a traditional Spanish recipe? Without doubt, the nbest-known is going to be the prodigious paella ... that tasty, nadaptable, gregarious dish famed throughout Spain and the World.

And, what an impressive choice of recipes exist for a pleasurable npaella: seafood, chicken, rabbit ... or a mixture of all three!
Perhaps you are non-meat eating ... well, just opt for one of the nseveral vegetarian paella recipes. Bit of a health fanatic?
Then substitute white rice for whole-grain rice or wild rice.

Got a large family and not much money to feed them on? Use nplenty of rice and imagination along with a tasty stock, plus nwhatever you can find in the cupboard! I have certainly enjoyed nmany paellas where there have been more bones/shells than meat/ nseafood! And, very tasty they have been too, the richness of nthe company more than compensating for any paucity in the ningredients.

So ... how do you go about making the perfect paella? First of nall, you need to choose your rice. The short-grained rice from
Valencia - where most Spanish rice originates - is fine for nmaking paellas. However, the "bomba" rice grown in the nneighboring region of Murcia, is the "king" of paella rice: again, nshort-grained, it has the ability to absorb the stock whilst nremaining firm.

Another "must" is to use saffron ("azafrá
") to create the gentle, nyellow color for which this delectable dish is renowned. Yes, it nis possible to buy cheaper, artificial colorings but ... go for nthe traditional - it will bestow a wonderful aroma and unique nflavor.

Many Spaniards swear a perfect paella can only be achieved when nusing a tasty, home-made stock. Whatever you decide, allow at nleast double the amount of liquid to rice. If, during cooking, nthe dish becomes a little dry, just add a dash more water or nstock.

Another tip I have been told, on more than one occasion, is to ngently fry the rice for a few minutes before adding the stock, nensuring that it is well-coated in oil. I think all Spaniards nwould agree that, once cooked, it is best to leave your paella to nstand for a good five minutes before serving.

Perhaps the most important ingredient for making that perfect npaella, is to use lashings and lashings of love whilst preparing nit - for surely, that is something we can all afford - and to nenjoy to the full the marvelous company of those who will share nit with you.

I shall now have to choose a paella recipe to offer you as an nexample! I think I will opt for a seafood paella, typical of the nregion of Valencia, where I live. The ingredients are for a nhearty four servings. If you are not a hefty eater, or on a diet, nthen reduce the amount of rice/stock slightly.

Paella Valenciana - Paella From Valencia

Ingredients: nn- 4 cups rice.
- 8 cups fish stock.
- 8 king-sized prawns/langoustines.
- 8 mussels.
- 200 gr shrimps.
- 200 gr peas (fresh or frozen).
- 2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced.
- 3 strands saffron, crumbled.
- Olive oil for frying.

Method:

1. Sauté garlic in a paella-type pan.

2. Add tomatoes, peas, shrimps and saffron.

3. Cook for a few minutes.

4. Add rice and stock.

5. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

6. Decorate with prawns and mussels.

7. Cover paella with a lid.

8. Poach the seafood for a few minutes.

9. Decorate paella with lemon quarters.

10. Enjoy!