Paella Valenciana

Sofregit is the most important thing about Paella, says Javier, who is from Valencia and is very very proud about making it properly.
Because Paella Valenciana can only be made one way, with only a few accepeted additions and perhaps substitutions. There are some things that must never be added. Pepper? No. Onions? No! Chorizo? Run for your life!!! Definitely NOT!!!

So what does goes in and how is it done?

Javier has eaten Paella Valenciana ever since he was born, every Sunday. Now he lives here in the UK, but keeps up the tradition as often as he can.  He has cooked many Paella's in his life and everyone, he says is slightly different. But the basic principles are the same and very strictly followed.

The Ingredients:

1 small Chicken, cut into pieces

1 Wild Rabbit, cut into pieces

7 Pork Ribs, chopped into pieces (I used a Meat Cleaver to chop through the bones. I would recommended getting a Butcher to do this if you haven't done it before)

10 Duck Filets

(These are the sort of meats that are accepted to go into this Paella. Snails are sometimes added. A mix is great or any combination of the above)

ca. 900g Paella Rice (no precise measurement as you will see later)

ca. 250ml Tomato Passata 

3 Garlic, cloves, chopped and left with the Tomato Passata (as they will go in together)

1 large Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips

a selection of green Beans, French Beans,  Runner Beans, Mange Tout, Broad Beans (that sort of thing)

Sweet Spanish Paprika (not the smoked one!)

Saffron ...... or this orange Food Colouring which is apparently ok to use. 

(I strongly disagree, but Javier says it's too expensive to use Saffron. Well my readers, what do you think? He is being so particular about this dish and then he is adding a Food Colouring? We must do something!!!! Should anyone have a spare couple of grams of Saffron laying around and would like to donate them to my flatmate, please let me know and it will be a worthwhile cause and greatly appreciated.)

Olive Oil for frying 

Water 

A few fresh sprigs of Rosemary

I also made a simple clear stock from the bones that where over after dividing the Chicken and Rabbit into the pieces and persuaded Javier that it should be added to the dish. Believe me, it took some persuading. Usually it should only be cold water. But since there was nothing 'foreign' in the stock, just the animals that are part of the dish, and I didn't want to waste any of their flavour, the stock was accepted. Phew!

So we put a suitable size Paella Pan onto its Burner and Olive Oil is added. Javier sprinkles the Oil with Salt. That is the sort of thing I could see myself doing for no particular reason, but I forgot to inquire why exactly he seasoned the Oil instead of the meat.

 

All the pieces of meat go in together and start to fry. Javier stirs and turns everything over continuously.

After about 10 minutes the meat is brown all over. At some point during this frying Javier added the sweet Paprika, I wasn't looking and missed it... 'Javi, how am I supposed to write your recipe when you do things secretly???' 

He pushes the meat towards the sides and adds the vegetables. I had to fish out the Mange Tout from the mix, like Cinderella, as it is too delicate to start cooking at this stage and will be added a bit later.

We have now reached the stage of the all important Sofregit. At the bottom of the pan all this stirring and frying creates a crust with all the little bits that get brown and caramelised and produce all the good flavour. He takes his time during this stage and I cautiously take a very close look, worried that it may get past the caramelised stage and start to burn. But when he adds the Tomatoes with the Garlic, the smell is just so amazingly delicious all my worries are gone and I am just swooning over the pan.

After a few more stirs and turns my wonderful stock goes in, followed by a lot of cold water. How much water? Well enough to cover the meat generously, I'd say. The dreaded food colouring is sprinkled over at this moment. You remember how I feel about it? Please consider checking your cupboards, we must get the boy some real Saffron!

Even Javier is impressed with colour that the stock and water has taken on now. All that 'sofreigiting' has payed off.

This stage is basically creating its own favourful stock and cooking the meat, so it will take about 30-40 minutes. During this time the stock will reduce to about 3 cm low, from the bottom of the pan. 

Oh and the Mange Tout also went in at this stage.

It is customary to ask the guests, friends or family who are eating, to come and taste the stock at this point, to decide if there is enough salt. When everyone is happy, the rice can go in.

The trick is to draw a line straight accross the middle of the pan with the rice, then distribute is gently all over, and then take the pan by it's handles and chimmy it around, so that all the rice is covering the bottom of the pan evenly. The little interfering me was quite sure it needed a bit more rice. So I sprinkled in a little more. Javier probably was rolling his eyes behind my back.

From now on the rice needs 11 minutes to cook. So check your watches everyone! Javi turns down all the burners to minimum. The Pan can now not be touched anymore. No more stirring, no more adding anything, not even water, because the other very important thing, is to create the famous and much desired crust on the bottom. The Socarrat. To achieve this the burners are turned back to high for just a few minutes at the end. With a keen nose you can hover over the pan and smell the toasty aroma, when it is done.

 As the rice was soaking up the water and it threatened to be going too dry too quickly, Javier took a couple of large wet cloth kitchen towels and covered the whole pan up with these, to stop the steam from escaping and help cook the rice. This little rescue method is not a mistake as such, but needn't have to be part of the making and was probably my fault as I had added that little bit of extra rice. I am including it here though, because I think it is a 'good tip to know'.

Just before serving a few sprigs of fresh Rosemary are placed around the Paella. The aroma and flavour that comes off from these is quite unexpectedly delicious.

The Paella is now served like this: 

The whole pan is placed on a wooden board in the middle of the table. Everyone gets a spoon and a side plate for the bones. Sitting around the pan, everyone literally eats from the same pan. Just start in your little corner and work your way towards the middle. I absolutely love this way of eating best about this whole dish.