LA PAELLA

Paella is probably the best known Spanish dish and is nowadays eaten all over Spain.

Although it basically consists of chicken, rabbit, vegetables and rice, there are many possible variations; thus there is the "paella mixta" (meat and fish), the "paella marinera" (fish only), "paella de invierno" (winter paella with broad beans and artichokes), "paella de verduras" (mainly vegetables), "paella de bacalao y coliflor" (with dried cod and cauliflower) etc.

The name "paella" comes from the actual paella pan in which this dish is cooked. The pan itself is not called a "paellera" as so many people nowadays call it - which more than somewhat annoys the real Valencianos. Actually "paellera" would mean a woman who cooks the paella, just as a "paellero" would be a man who cooks "paella". In fact, "paellero" is the word used for the special large gas hob designed to heat the paella pan, a modern invention to replace the traditional wood fire and iron tripod.

The ingredients of a traditional "paella valenciana" are: chicken and rabbit, snails, vegetables (such as runner beans, "garrafón" or butter beans, and tomatoes), round or pudding rice, saffron, paprika powder, stock and salt. However, every cook has his or her own special little tricks to add that something special that makes this particular paella different from all other ones - the touch of the master, whether it is a touch of garlic, a smidgeon of rosemary or whatever. However, don't be so crude as to add chorizo sausage or altramuces (a sort of beans often eaten as an hors d'oeuvre) since this would bring the universally appreciated paella into gross disrepute.

The most general and simplest recipe is as follows:

Heat 10 cc olive oil in the paella pan (*) and add to this a chicken and a rabbit chopped into small pieces over which pepper and salt have been sprinkled. Once the meat is browned on all sides, push it to the edge of the pan and add about 500 gr runner beans chopped into 2 cm lengths plus the butter beans which are briefly fried in the fat. Add a few cloves of chopped-up garlic and two sliced tomatoes together with a teaspoon full of paprika powder.

Stir all this thoroughly and add 750 gr. uncooked rice (in the province of Alicante the rice is added before the stock as they believe the rice keeps its individual grain intact). Now add the stock; there should be about two-and-a-half cups of stock to one cup of rice although some brands of rice take up more stock - you may have to experiment. Turn the heat up till it all boils merrily and then turn down the heat. Add salt if necessary, stir the contents one last time - and leave it alone to cook till it is done. Put the snails (cooked before hand) on top of the rice and allow everything to cook till dry. Turn off the flame and leave the paella a further 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

(*) paellas come in all sizes. This particular recipe assumes a paella with a 50 cm diameter intended for 6 to 8 people with a healthy appetite. Bear in mind that the thinner the layer of rice, the tastier the dish (this applies not only to paellas).