The paella debate

Main Entry: pa·el·la
Pronunciation: \pä-ˈe-lə, -ˈā-; -ˈāl-yə, -ˈā-yə\

Etymology: Catalan, literally, pot, pan, from Middle French paelle, from Latin patella small pan — more at patella

Date: circa 1892

 : a saffron-flavored dish containing rice, meat, seafood, and vegetables

Or is it?

A brief history of paella

Some historians believe that rice came to Europe around 330 BC when Alexander the Great made it all the way to India and brought it back, although there are other possible explanations and routes that I'm not going to discuss here because I would start sounding like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.

There is historical evidence that rice was being cultivated in Valencia as early as 1238, when Jaume I the Conqueror entered Valencia and orders that rice crops around the perimeter of the city be destroyed. He mandated that rice cultivation be limited to the area of La Albufera. But it's not until the XVI century when Francisco de Paula Marti first talks about arroz valenciano (Valencian rice) and speaks of the ability of Valencian people to season and cook rice to perfection. The first written account of paella (still referred to as arroz valenciano) is from an XVIII document that outlines the necessary steps to accomplish a this dish in which each grain is cooked to perfection.

The original paella recipe has little in common with the current notion of paella. The main ingredients were items easily found in the Albufera lake area, where the bulk of rice cultivation happened: eel, snails and green beans, and according to Vicente Blasco Ibañez, even marsh rats. Yes, eel, snails and green beans. And rats. Delightful, no? Some of the most widely used ingredient list of this era also included chicken, rabbit, duck, butter beans, great northern beans, artichokes, tomato, rosemary, paprika, saffron and garlic. It's these ingredients, and only these, that paella purists insist should go into making Valencian paella. On the Mediterranean coast, however, seafood is used instead of meat and beans to make paella, as it is more readily available. Later, Spaniards mixed seafood into the original Valencian recipe and mixed paella was born.

Paella became really popular during the 20th century, making it into the international food scene. Consequently, paella recipes went from being relatively simple to including a wide variety of seafood, meat, sausages, (the most popular being Spanish chorizo) vegetables and many different seasonings. Many restaurants in Spain and in the United States serve the mixed version, and refer to it as Valencian paella; however, Valencians insist only the original Valencian recipe can bear the name paella valenciana.

Paella essentials

So, what do you need to make paella? Here are some basic elements that are essential for different reasons, and if you use something else the result just won't be the same:

Paella pan: Valencians use the word paella for all pans, including the specialized shallow pan used for cooking paellas. However, in most of Spain and throughout Latin America, the term paellera is more commonly used for this pan, though both terms are correct, as stated by the Real Academia Española, the body responsible for regulating the Spanish language. Paellas or paelleras are traditionally round and not too shallow, made of polished steel with two handles. Its wide surface and diameter allows adequate vaporization of the cooking liquid.
If you want to get a paella pan your best bet is online. In town, Williams Sonoma carries wonderful copper paella pans for a mere $300-$400. So if you can afford that, go for it. Your best buy, though, will be a standard carbon steel paella pan, the most common type, which you can find at La Tienda, La Paella or Amazon. Just remember that steel pans, similar to cast iron, can rust if you don't take care of them. Do not throw your paellera in the dishwasher. And after you clean it, rub or spray it with oil to prevent rusting. The pan will get seasoned over time. You could go for a more expensive non-stick, but that's not the real deal. Or you could get an enameled paella pan, if you don't want to deal with the rusting, but I like my old steel one.
Now, for the size. A 14" pan will serve approximately 3-4 people; 18" will feed 6-8, and 22" feeds 9-12. See the handy chart at the La Paella website for additional sizes/servings.

Arroz (rice): NEVER use long grain rice. Just don't. It doesn't work. Long grain rice doesn't have the same absorption capacity as the shoter grain rice used in paella, and you wouldn't get the same flavor quality. Also, traditional paella rice is resistant to cracking and opening during the cooking process, which prevents the paella from turning into a big mushy mess.

Fortunately for us, the Coop carries a couple of varieties of paella rice (it's not in the bulk section with all the other rices, it's behind the olive bar - for now, they rearrange all the time - if you can't find it ask someone).

Azafran (saffron): Saffron  is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the Iridaceae. A C. sativus flower bears three stigmas, each the distal end of a carpel. Together with their styles—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and coloring agent. Saffron's bitter taste and an iodoform- or hay-like fragrance result from the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal. A carotenoid dye, crocin, allows saffron to impart a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes and textiles (thanks Wikipedia!)

Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about saffron and paella. You will only need a few strands of saffron, a little goes a long way here. It has a very peculiar taste, so you are likely to notice if you overdo it. It's best if you toast it for a minute, grind it with a mortar/pestle or something similar and then add it to the paella. Saffron is what gives paella rice its traditional yellow color, although artificial coloring is also used for this purpose.  

And of course, that magical essence called pimenton. This one needs no explanation. It just makes it taste better.

Paella basics

Here are a few tips:

You need an even heat source so the rice cooks evenly, which means no stovetop cooking unless you have a decent amount of BTUs or an electric stove that covers the entire bottom of the pan (although my condolences to you if you have an electric stove). In Spain, some people use heat difusing burners, but they are expensive (ranging from $150-$500). I use the oven or the outdoor gas grill. If you make it in the oven, 400F temperature should do, for about 20 minutes. I turn the pan 10 minutes into the cooking process because my oven tends to have a higer temperature in the back.

Careful with the rice to liquid ratio. Make sure that when you fill the pan the liquid does not go above the screws of the pan handles (visible inside the pan) because that means you're using too much and the rice won't cook properly. For a 14" pan, I use one cup of rice to two and 1/4 cups of liquid. Also, I know there is some controversy on what liquid to use, water, stock? I do prefer to use stock, I feel it that it enhances the flavor, especially because it reduces the time you need to cook the other ingredients in the liquid to make it flavorful enough. It's a good shortcut.

There are different methods to cook paella. In Valencia they saute all the meats or seafood first, then the stock is added and the rice doesn't go in until the liquid is boiling. In Alicante and Murcia they sautee the rice with the meats/seafood until it becomes shiny, which coats it with a film that prevents it from overcooking. This is how I make it as well.

Don't cover the paella pan. It's a no-no.

Paella recipes

La Paella has a couple of basic, pretty traditional paella recipes (click for link) albeit pretty labor intensive and maybe not the best version for beginners. Williams Sonoma's recipe here is a better option if you're intimidated by the prospect of making paella.

The reason why I'm pointing you to these links is because I've never tested the ingredient amounts in my own version, and I don't want to be responsible for any faulty paellas. I promise I'll test it one of these days (when I'm back on 2 feet). For the record I like shortcuts, I'll admit it, like using stock, boneless, skinless chicken thighs (thigh meat doesn't dry up as much as breast meat), and you can use frozen or canned beans with good results, instead of soaking dry beans. If you want to use bone-in chicken, remember that in traditional paella recipes the pieces of chicken are usually quite small (think of chicken wing or drumstick size pieces).

Hecha la paella, buena o mala hay que comella (Old Proverb) - Once the paella is cooked you have to eat it, whether it's good or bad. Same meaning as you make the bed you lie in.

Laister arte!