The 7 Most Traditional Paella Recipes.
Page 2
Then add the cauliflower and fry during 3 minutes, then add the tomato and let reduce until is nearly dry.
Add the rice and stir some seconds to impregnate the flavor. Add the sweet paprika, mix and immediately after add the broth with the boiled vegetables inside.
The broth is made with the rest of vegetables and the mushrooms cut into pieces. As a help, the amount of broth to be added to cook the rice is 3 ½ cups per each cup of rice.
Boil during 18 minutes, adding salt and saffron. Finally let cool down for minimum 2 minutes once fire is switched off and serve hot.
Arros a banda (Rice cooked with fish broth)
Description:
This is a paella recipe very popular in the coastal areas of the Valencian Mediterranean Sea, where fresh fish abound.
It’s cooked using a slight different method than the authentic Valencia paella, in the sense that the broth is prepared aside (hence the same “a banda”, that means aside or separately) and incorporated to the rice cooking already with all the fish flavor.
When fishermen cast their nets they catch many species that are very appreciated to be eaten in many ways. In the Mediterranean Sea you have, among many others, hake, cuttlefish, sardines, octopus, squid, monk fish, tuna, swordfish, etc. But also, at the same time, they catch other species that are not so appreciated because of different reasons like, for instance, having many bones.
It’s precisely these other species, that are particularly cheap but very tasty, the ones that make the base of the fish broth.
The origins of our dish come from the need of using those fish species that are not so appreciated and, eventually, they would have to throw away after fishing.
Therefore, they are boiled separately and we use the broth to cook our rice.
Preparation:
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients for 8 people:
600 grams of short or round grain rice
400 grams of squid or cuttlefish cut in small pieces
300 grams of skinned prawns
2 ripe tomatoes
1 cup of olive oil (aprox 3 dl)
Salt
Saffron
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
Fish broth
Directions:
Put the olive oil in the paella pan and heat at medium fire.
Lightly fry the pieces of squid, then, progressively add and fry, the prawns and the grated tomatoes.
Add the rice and stir to mix and lightly fry together for 1 or 2 minutes. Then add the paprika and, immediately after add the fish broth (aprox. 3 ½ cups per cup of rice).
Spread all over the pan and, once boiling, add the saffron for taste and color.
The rice cooking should last between 18 to 20 min. Start boiling at maximum fire and keep reducing and monitoring to finish the broth evaporation within the 20 minutes.
Hint:
It’s common to be served with alioli sauce.
Arros negre (Rice with squid ink)
Description:
This is a dish very similar to the previous one (Arros a banda). Ingredients and way of preparation are almost identical. The main difference is the appearance. This one is black.
In the cooking process, we add squid ink so the resulting view is totally blackened rice.
It’s quite common also in the coastal areas.
Preparation:
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients for 8 people:
600 grams of short or round grain rice
400 grams of squid or cuttlefish cut in small pieces
300 grams of skinned prawns
2 ripe tomatoes
1 cup of olive oil (aprox 3 dl)
Salt
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
Squid ink
Fish broth
Directions:
Put the olive oil in the paella pan and heat at medium fire.
Lightly fry the pieces of squid, then, progressively add and fry, the prawns and the grated tomatoes.
In parallel, dissolve the ink in half a glass of warm water and keep aside.
Add the rice and stir to mix and lightly fry together for 1 or 2 minutes. Then add the paprika and, immediately after add the fish broth (aprox. 3 ½ cups per cup of rice) and the squid ink.
Spread all over the pan and add some salt and taste it.
The rice cooking should last between 18 to 20 min. Start boiling at maximum fire and keep reducing and monitoring to finish the broth evaporation within the 20 minutes.
Hint:
It’s common to be served with alioli sauce.
Arros al forn (Backed Rice)
Description:
This is a traditional way to cook rice in Valencian households. It’s usually cooked as part of the week-days meal menu, so it is, both cheap and easy to prepare and serve.
Not common to be offered in High Standard Restaurants but more in popular meal houses when people go to eat everyday with a budget.
This kind of rice was prepared by my mother each or every other week, some day from Monday to Saturday. Since it’s cooked in the oven, traditionally, women used to bring the casserole with the raw ingredients inside to the neighboring bakery, where they had a wooden oven and usually charged a fee to cook your rice. When being a kid, I remember seeing women carrying a casserole in their way to the bakery. Today, you still can see it in some towns.
Preparation:
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients for 6 people:
400 grams of short or round grain rice
600 ml of stew, made from meat, vegetables and chickpeas
8 tablespoons of olive oil
200 grams of pork ribs (cut into small pieces)
2 Spanish black sausages
150 grams of lean bacon
150 grams of cooked chickpeas
One fresh tomato
One head of garlic
A big potato (sliced)
Tablespoon of sweet paprika
Teaspoon of saffron
Salt
Directions:
Fry lightly over a low heat the sliced potato, the head of garlic, the black sausages, the pork ribs, and the bacon.
Pour the above mix in a casserole or clay pot. Then add the rice, chickpeas, the sweet paprika and the saffron, and mix gently together using a spoon.
Add the stew and the sliced tomato.
Put the casserole in the preheated oven (200 – 220 C) and leave it until the stew is absorbed.
Hint:
Before putting the casserole in the oven, you can arrange the ingredients to have them in a “nice’ layout (see above picture) when the cooking is finished. Usually we prepare it to have the head of garlic in the center of the casserole.
If you want to learn more about How to Cook an Authentic Valencian Paella, you can visit: http://www.cookapaella.com