Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the traditional paella of Valencia eaten by all Valencianos for lunch, never dinner.Ingredients 450 grams/1lb scrubbed fresh mussels 450 grams/1lb chicken cut into small pieces 200grams/6ozs pork or rabbit cut into pieces 1 packet of small prawns (about 10-12 - optional) 2 large ripe tomatoes (boiled and skinned and chopped) 200grams/6ozs green beans cut into small 1" pieces (ends cut off) 200grams/6ozs shelled broad beans (fava) 2 garlic cloves chopped (optional) pinch of saffron teaspoon sweet paprika salt 12ozs paella rice (Valenciana if possible!) or short grain white rice 8-10 tablespoons olive oil (1/2 to 3/4 cup) depending on taste 2-3 cups of boiling water
How to Prepare: If you're cooking Paella Valenciana outside on a barbeque this is great as you will have lots of room for the paella pan. If cooking inside it's best to use two hot plates and keep turning to keep the heat distributed as evenly as possible throughout cooking. - Heat olive oil in paella pan and brown chicken and pork/rabbit until golden.
- Add green beans, broad beans and fry for a few minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and garlic (optional) and cook for a further five minutes.
- The heat should be high and at this point you add the rice, saffron and boiling water and salt
- Stir and then arrange the prawns and mussels on top
- Cover and cook for about ten minutes then turn down and cook for a further 8-10 minutes.
Take the paella pan from the heat, cover with a cloth and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving. If you don't have a paella pan then you can buy one very easily from the very popular Spanish (US) online store La Tienda. Once you get used to it cooking Paella Valenciana is a very easy dish to make and it really does taste as good as it looks. Don't forget to serve it with lots of wedges of fresh lemon, salad and crunchy bread and you can't go wrong! For drinks what better than a refreshing jug of ice-cold Spanish Sangria! TIP! - To make a desert that really goes down well with a dish like this Click here for - Water Melon Fruit Mix
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