Traditional Spanish Dishes
Discover how to prepare Paella, a typical Spanish recipe
A Valencian paella with deep flavor, featuring chicken, rabbit, vegetables, and loose rice crowned by a golden socarrat. Ideal for sharing directly from the paellera.
This traditional version combines a concentrated sofrito, a well-seasoned broth, and cooking without stirring to achieve defined grains and a uniform texture.
01
Ingredients
Have everything ready before you begin.
- ✓4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ✓400 g of diced chicken
- ✓300 g of diced rabbit
- ✓150 g of flat green beans
- ✓120 g of cooked garrofón
- ✓2 mature grated tomatoes
- ✓320 g of round rice
- ✓1.2 liters of hot water or mild chicken broth
- ✓1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
- ✓A few strands of saffron
- ✓A small sprig of rosemary
- ✓Salt to taste
02
Step-by-step method
- 01
Organize ingredients
Have all ingredients ready and use a large paellera so the rice can form a thin layer. If necessary, garrofón can be substituted with large cooked white beans and flat green beans with round ones, maintaining the proportion of vegetables.
- 02
Heat oil
Place the paellera over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- 03
Brown the meats
Season the chicken and rabbit with salt. Add them when the oil is hot and brown them patiently, turning the pieces to color on all sides.
- 04
Sauté the vegetables
Move the meat to the edges. Add the green beans to the center and sauté them for a few minutes, until they soften slightly and shine. Carefully incorporate the garrofón to avoid breaking it.
- 05
Prepare the sofrito
Open a space in the center and add the grated tomato. Cook until it loses most of its water, becomes thick, and integrates with the oil, for about 5-8 minutes.
- 06
Add paprika and liquid
Remove the paellera from the heat or reduce the intensity to a minimum. Quickly mix the paprika with the sofrito and carefully pour in the hot water or broth.
- 07
Aromatize the broth
Incorporate the saffron, rosemary, and a first salt correction.
- 08
Boil and season
Increase the heat until the broth boils strongly and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Taste the broth: it should be slightly savory; correct the salt if it's insipid. Remove the rosemary so it doesn't dominate.
- 09
Distribute the rice
Distribute the rice forming a cross and gently spread it with a spoon to leave it uniform.
- 10
Cook without stirring
Do not stir the rice from this moment on. Keep the heat high for 8-10 minutes, until the boil is constant and absorbs part of the broth; then continue over medium heat for another 8-10 minutes.
- 11
Adjust the liquid
If the liquid disappears too soon and the rice is still hard, add small amounts of hot water, never cold. The time depends on the rice, the power of the fire, and the diameter of the paellera.
- 12
Form the socarrat
When there's almost no liquid left and the rice starts to sound at the bottom, increase the heat for 1-2 minutes. Watch the aroma: it should be toasted and pleasant, never burnt.
- 13
Let it rest
Turn off the heat and let the paella rest between 5 and 10 minutes for the moisture to distribute and the grains to settle. Do not use a damp cloth; if you cover it with aluminum, place it without pressing.
- 14
Serve the paella
Serve directly from the paellera, making sure each plate includes rice, meat, and vegetables. It can be enjoyed alone or with a few drops of lemon.
- Brown the chicken and rabbit well to add depth to the broth.
- Cook the tomato until it's concentrated before adding the paprika.
- Incorporate the paprika with the heat low and mix quickly to avoid burning.
- Taste and adjust the broth before adding the rice.
- Do not stir the paella during cooking to preserve the defined grains.
- For the socarrat, increase the heat only for 1-2 minutes and watch carefully.
- If you can't find garrofón, you can use large cooked white beans as an adaptation.