The queen of Spanish cuisine is paella! Paella is the culinary symbol of sunny Valencia.

05.08.2019 The drinks

Without a doubt, one of the world's most famous and loved culinary delights is paella, a Spanish rice dish with seafood or a variety of meats and vegetables.

Paella is considered a cult food among the Spaniards. Bright and sunny, sparkling with glossy mussel shells and blooming with scarlet tomatoes, it adorns family dinners and lavish celebrations. Everything you need to know about one of the main Spain, you will find in this article.

When and where did they come up with paella?

Paella traces its history back to the 15th century, and it comes from the east coast of the country, from the Valencia region. In the wetlands near Lake Albufera, the Spanish cultivated rice for centuries, and it was their staple food in the Middle Ages.

A variation of the modern paella was invented here in the 19th century - workers in the fields cooked rice for lunch, adding everything they could find: snails and vegetables. Subsequently, they began to add a rabbit or duck to it, and due to the proximity to the sea, a fish version of the dish quickly appeared.

How did the name "paella" come about? Most likely from the word patella (the pan in which it is cooked). But there is also a version that in translation from Arabic the name means "leftovers", because the recipe contains, at first glance, incompatible products.

Types of paella

Paella recipes differ from each other in every region of Spain. In some, rice is fried in oil, in others, peas and meat sausages are added - there are about 300 variations in total.

Nevertheless, there are only three main types of paella in Spain, all the others are improvisations on the theme of this dish.

Paella valenciana. Traditionally composed of rice, vegetables, rabbit or chicken, green beans and spices.

Paella de marisco. In the recipe: rice, fish and seafood (squid, shrimp, mussels, octopus).

Paella mixta. It combines vegetables, meat and seafood in various proportions.

All types of paella are seasoned with saffron - it is he who gives the dish such a rich yellow color - and is cooked only on.

How Spanish paella is made

And now a little about the basic principles of paella preparation. The main feature of this famous dish is a wide and flat frying pan with two handles: in it, paella is cooked and then served on the table. The peculiarity of this dish is that all the ingredients are placed in one layer and the water evaporates quickly and evenly, preventing the rice from overcooking.

Local customs include preparing paella over an open fire. It saturates the dish with the aroma of smoke and reveals the taste of the added. First, the fire is made very hot to fry the meat, then it is reduced to simmer the rice.

The main ingredients of Spanish paella are the same: rice, vegetables, meat or seafood. Particular attention is paid to the quality of rice: it must be round, fine-grained, capable of both absorbing liquid and retaining its structure (a suitable variety is bomba).

First, a "base" is prepared - for example, garlic is fried in olive oil, then caught, shrimps are fried, then replaced with meat and vegetables, and poured with water. Sprinkle the bubbling mixture criss-cross with two paths of rice and gently distribute them over the entire diameter of the pan, add a tiny pinch of saffron. Seafood is added to rice just before the dish is ready.

The fire should be strong for the first 10 minutes, then it is reduced so that the water can evaporate. But when the rice is ready, the fire must again be set to the maximum for about a minute - then the branded crust of fried rice (Socarrat) will form at the bottom of the pan. Rice should not be burnt, but fried - this is the most delicious part of the dish for the Spaniards. Leaving it un-eaten in Spain is considered unacceptable.

The skill in preparing Spanish paella lies in keeping the ideal proportions in the amount of rice and liquid and not to miss the moment when the cereal has already absorbed the taste and aroma, but has not yet had time to boil.

At all times, paella served as a unifying function for the Spanish people, and the country still has a tradition of eating it all together from one frying pan and, better, with wooden spoons. However, this does not mean at all that the restaurant will not offer you a plate, knife and fork. The main thing is to remember that all seafood in paella is cooked unpeeled, it is customary to move them to the edge of the dish and eat at the very end, peeling it yourself, with your hands. And paella is never served for dinner in Spain - it is an exclusively daytime dish.

The Spaniards sometimes cook the so-called "lazy" paella, or parellada. They say it got its name in honor of Julie Parellada, a gourmet from Barcelona who did not like to get his hands dirty. All seafood in this paella is peeled.

Where to try paella in Spain

Paella can be found anywhere in Spain, but in many it is often prepared from a semi-finished product. In such establishments, the Paellador sign is placed on the tables. In this case, the dish is often cheaper, but it will not give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe taste of real Spanish paella.

Important: in a good place where paella is served, there should be no sangria on the menu, since the dish is washed down only with dry wine (avoid cafes with inviting inscriptions "paella + sangria").

Three places in Madrid with real paella

Socarratt (Calle San Marcos, 2)

Inexpensive cafe for every day, run by two chefs from Valencia. In addition to the traditional paella valenciana with chicken, rabbit, artichokes and green beans, there is a large selection of Spanish rice dishes, including vegetarian options. A portion of paella costs 8-9 €.

La Baracca (Calle de la Reina, 29)

The family-run restaurant serving classic Spanish cuisine is located in the city center. There are always a lot of tourists and locals who come back here again for delicious rice. Paella valenciana costs 15.70 €, paella mixed with seafood, chicken and pork - 17 €.

Casa de Valencia (Paseo Pintor Rosales, 58)

One of the most popular places in Madrid for authentic cuisine. The menu offers an extensive selection of traditional Spanish cuisine, including the classic Valencian paella (it costs € 15.75), the vegetable paella (€ 14.50), and the seafood paella (€ 18.75).

How much does paella cost in Spain

It remains to figure out how much paella costs if you cook it yourself in Spain. This question is especially relevant for those who rent an apartment or apartment in the country and are not averse to testing their culinary skills.

For example, consider the cost of paella products from the Mercadona supermarket:

  • arroz Redonzo rice (1kg) - 0.95 €;
  • preparado paella spices - 2.10 €;
  • a set of seafood (clams, mussels, squids, shrimps) - 4.95 €;
  • fish broth (1 liter) - € 2.50.

Total € 10.50 for basic products.

Large Spanish shops sell ready-made paella. A serving (200 g) costs 3.20 €. In restaurants, the price of a meal per person ranges from 10 to 20 €.

Everyone in Spain knows what paella is. This is a dish that unites people from the moment of preparation to a joint meal at a large table. Do not miss the opportunity to taste the real paella - its taste will become an unforgettable memory of Spain for a long time.

Paella Is a national Spanish (in particular Valencian) dish, which is prepared on the basis of rice tinted with saffron with the addition of olive oil. In addition, the composition of paella may contain seafood, vegetables, sausage, chicken, vegetables, legumes, herbs, spices and other products.

The popularity of this dish today is facilitated by the many variations in ingredients that are adapted to different regions of Spanish cuisine. As you know, there are a considerable number of paella recipes (according to the Spaniards themselves, there are more than three hundred of them).

It should be noted that the majority of people who are not Spanish call paella a national Spanish dish, while the majority of the inhabitants of Spain call this dish exclusively Valencian.

Today, it is extremely rare in Spanish catering establishments that you will not be offered paella, and over the past century, the popularity of this dish has grown so much that it can be tasted in almost all European restaurants. The increased interest in paella has resulted in the birth of all kinds of cooking options for this dish. For example, from the original Valencian recipe to varieties such as paella de marisco (seafood paella), paella mixta (mixed paella) and many others.

The name of this famous dish originates from the word "paella", which in Valencian means "frying pan" (in turn, it comes from the Latin word "patella"). By the way, “paella” has related words: Castilian “padilla” - small oven, French “poele” - frying pan, oven and Italian “padella” - frying pan.

The people of Valencia are used to using the word paella perfectly for all types of pots, including special utensils for preparing paella. However, in much of Spain and throughout Latin America, the term “paellera” is more commonly used for this purpose. Traditionally, p aelleras are round, with two handles, small and made of polished steel.

Among the many types of paella, in addition to the classic one, which includes rice, several varieties of fish and seafood, chicken, white wine, spices and herbs, others stand out. For example, in some regions of Spain, bean paella is typical.

Paella Valenciana includes white rice, green vegetables, meat (chicken, rabbit, duck), special snails, beans and spices. The meat and snails in the seafood paella are replaced by seafood, respectively, and there are no vegetables and beans.

Most paella cooks use a special type of rice called calasparra or bomba. In addition, saffron and quality olive oil are other key ingredients in paella.

An interesting version of paella - "black rice" - is prepared with cuttlefish meat, and the rich black color of the finished dish is achieved through the use of "ink" secreted by this cephalopod mollusk.

Rice, saffron, chicken broth, chicken meat, tomatoes, garlic, black and white sausage, eggs and sausages are used to prepare paella called “crusty rice”.

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Did you know that it practically never rains in Spanish Valencia? That a generous, bright sun shines here almost all year round? Perhaps that is why the locals consider the colorful paella as their symbol. This dish seems to reflect all the surrounding colors: scarlet tomatoes, green vegetables, pink octopuses, black shells with mussels and, of course, rice, which acquires a golden color due to saffron.

A mystery overgrown with myths

Now no one can say for sure where the name "paella" came from. According to one version, it comes from the Latin word "patella", which means "frying pan" - because it is in this dish that a traditional Valencian dish is prepared. According to another, the name is a warped "para ella", that is, "for her." Allegedly, Spanish paella was first prepared by a fisherman in anticipation of his girlfriend. However, some insist that this dish was originally eaten by the servants of the Moorish kings, and its name should be translated from Arabic as "leftovers".

Perhaps adherents of the third version of the origin of the word "paella" are right in something. The classic recipe includes products that seem incompatible at first glance. - as if you urgently need to use everything that is lying around in the refrigerator. But, having tried this amazing dish at least once, everyone exclaims: “It's delicious!”.

To prepare real Spanish paella, you will need 6-7 varieties of fish, seafood, chicken, vegetables, rice, olive oil and saffron. In Spain, this dish is a good reason for the whole family to gather at the dinner table on Sunday. And also march 19 cannot do without it, when the day of St. Joseph is celebrated.

flickr.com/jexweber

Now, of course, the classic recipe has undergone many modifications, but the sunny Spanish flavor remains unchanged. This is probably why paella became famous all over the world.

Paella with chicken, fish, cuttlefish, vegetarian ...

Paella is the pride and symbol of Spanish cuisine. However, in composition to many Russians, it is very similar to the usual pilaf or a dish with a more exotic name - risotto. In some ways, these people are right. If we remove the national “eclecticism”, then paella will turn out to be an ordinary dish made of rice, meat, fish and vegetables. On the other hand, isn't it due to the exotic flavor that the food becomes especially tasty?

For making Spanish paella a special frying pan called paellera is used... Unlike risotto, it uses olive oil rather than butter. The Spaniards use a special type of rice - baya, which should be crumbly, and the Italians boil arborio rice to a state of porridge. The homeland of pilaf is Central Asia, so many spices are added to it - for example, turmeric, and in addition to rice, wheat, corn, peas and mung bean are used in the original recipe for this dish.

In total, there are about 300 varieties of paella in Spain, and the recipes may differ depending on the region.

It is prepared with meat, fish, mussels, squid, mushrooms and vegetables in various combinations. The Valencian version is made with rice, green vegetables, meat, snails and beans. Beans and vegetables are often absent in seafood recipes. An interesting kind of dish - "Black Rice"... It got this name due to the addition of cuttlefish, which gives off black ink.

flickr.com/maurizio-sorvillo

There are also vegetarian recipes. Rice, saffron, tomatoes and olive oil are always required ingredients.

Paella has long gone beyond Spain and spread throughout the world. The Mexicans loved her very much, changing the classic recipe for themselves. They make the dish traditionally spicy using onions, garlic and chili peppers. In Russia, paella with chicken is more often prepared due to the lesser availability of fresh seafood.

Delicious paella with your own hands

Residents of sunny Valencia, of course, are sure that only in their homeland you can taste real paella. But if you do not have the opportunity to travel to this city, you can prepare the dish at home. In Russian realities, fresh seafood is easily replaced with frozen, and if there is no paella, it can be replaced with a regular frying pan with thick walls or even a slow cooker... This will not spoil the taste of the dish. Paella is served directly in the pan, seasoned with grated cheese.

Recipe number 1 - seafood paella

This is a classic paella recipe from Valencia. The Spaniards often add to it, but since it is difficult to get it in Russia now, you can do without it.

Required Ingredients:

  • 0.6 kg of rice;
  • 3 tomatoes;
  • a quarter glass of olive oil;
  • 0.5 kg of shrimp;
  • 0.6 kg of mussels;
  • 0.3 kg of squid;
  • a can of canned peas;
  • 2 peppers of different colors;
  • 1 onion;
  • 1 tsp saffron;
  • parsley;
  • salt;
  • pepper.

flickr.com/slmatthews

How to cook:
Boil the shrimps with salt, boil the mussels separately until the shells open. Mix broths, add saffron. Pour oil into a preheated pan, pour onions, fry over low heat, add tomatoes and squid. Then add rice and fry for 5-10 minutes. Add broth, simmer for 20 minutes, do not stir.
5 minutes before being ready, pour the shrimps into the pan, put the peppers, mussels and peas in it. Cover with foil and let it brew for 5 minutes.

Recipe number 2 - paella with chicken

For paella with chicken, exotic ingredients are not required - only white rice, chicken, some vegetables and peppers. You can cook it in a multicooker.

Required Ingredients:

  • 200 g of rice;
  • 4 chicken legs;
  • 3 tomatoes;
  • 2 bell peppers;
  • 3 garlic prongs;
  • bulb;
  • 4 tbsp. l. olive oil;
  • 2 tsp ground paprika;
  • salt.

flickr.com/ultrakml

How to cook:
Fry chicken legs in oil with onions, add rice and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then transfer the mixture to a slow cooker, putting it on the "pilaf" mode. Pour in 0.5 l. water, salt and pepper.
While the rice is cooking, fry a little more onion until golden brown, add pepper, tomatoes, saffron. Simmer for 5 minutes, add garlic. Pour everything into cooked rice.

Where to eat paella in Spain and Moscow?

Of course, you should go to Valencia, Spain, for real paella. According to reviews, you should definitely visit 2 restaurants - El Raco de Paella and Casa Navarro.

El Raco de Paella - a place entirely dedicated to paella, and they cook it here on the wood, so you will have to wait for the order at least 40 minutes. The average cost of paella is around € 20, depending on the variety.

The highlight of Casa Navarro is the location of the restaurant right on Patacona Beach. Tourists and locals prefer to gather here in large companies and have fun. The place is famous for paella with peeled seafood. The average cost of a dish is 25 euros.

Tourist Barcelona also has many places where you can enjoy paella. For instance, can Majó beach restaurant with a cozy home interior. The owner of the establishment claims that he personally selects all the products for the kitchen. Paella prices here start at 14 euros.

7 Portes Restaurant is renowned for the excellence of local chefs, due to which it became very popular. By the way, Lorca and Picasso once dined here. The price of a vegetable paella is 18 euros, a dish with meat or seafood will cost 20-22 euros.

flickr.com/carlos_lorenzo/

You can also taste Spanish paella in restaurants in Moscow. For instance, an interesting institution opened on Pushkinskaya embankment - Paella House. Green grass grows on the roof, as well as palm trees and sun loungers. The main dish is paella with seafood, its price is 700 rubles.

All fans of Spain will be interested in visiting Lizarran. It is a worldwide chain of Spanish and Basque restaurants. The establishments pay special attention to the freshness and naturalness of the products. Paella price for two - 690 rubles. for vegetable, 860 rubles. - for the Valencian and 920 rubles. - for a seafood dish.

We continue our gastronomic journey through the national cuisines of the world. Fast forward to sunny Spain and get acquainted with the equally famous paella

According to the Spaniards, paella - not just hearty and tasty food, it is a kind of symbol of the national Spanish cuisine. Anyway, not trying paella is not seeing Spain.

The dish got its name from a special frying pan called paella - it should be low, with a flat bottom and have two handles (on the other hand, why shouldn't the frying pan be named by the name of the dish?). Paella is prepared and served in it.

But don't run to buy a paella! Experience has shown that this Spanish dish can be prepared in any large frying pan or cauldron. The main thing is that the vessel has a heavy bottom (preferably cast iron).

The legend of the origin of paella

There are many stories about the origins of "real paella". Usually tourists, after hearing a hundred or two versions from their guides or just Spanish friends, are completely confused.

Most often, the story goes like this: first, this dish appeared in Valencia, the “real” paella is called “Valencian paella”). It happened a long time ago. Listeners claim that the spread of dates for different storytellers - from the Punic Wars to the beginning of the twentieth century (i.e. about two thousand years ago!).

So, a noble gentleman came to some village or city (we will not list) (here, as you yourself understand, there are very famous names - from Hanibal to Napoleon). The inhabitants of the village, hospitable people, decided to treat the guest. Everyone brought what they could. And this is where most of the storytellers agree, claiming that the main ingredient in the future dish was rice. Saffron and paprika are also mentioned, which give the dish not only taste, but also color. In addition, someone brought beef tenderloin, someone brought veal tripe, someone a duck, someone a chicken, or even a turkey. Since the city was on the seashore (in one of the versions of the story), they brought in fish, and the most different - from small anchovy to large tuna, as well as squid, mussels, and so on.

It was springtime, and so the beautiful young girls brought in the freshly picked crocus stamens - saffron. It is he who gives paella a golden color and a special aroma. They also grabbed bouquets of fresh spicy herbs - lemon balm, dill, fennel. According to other stories, everything happened in the fall, so they brought vegetables - sweet peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, onions, garlic. Olives and olive oil were also used.

Are you confused? Then let's move on! By some happy coincidence, everything has already been cleaned, cooked, fried. It remained only to mix the components and heat over the fire. By the way, this method is still used in small restaurants and at picnics. But there is another version - all the products were raw and were prepared on the spot.

And only the end of numerous stories is the same - paella surpassed all the expectations of the distinguished guest!

Paella ingredients

So, we realized that in the preparation of this Spanish dish, various ingredients are used, varying very widely - from a variety of vegetables to fish and meat. The Spaniards themselves believe that there are about three hundred (!) Types of paella.

For example, Valencian paella is prepared with chicken and pork or rabbit. And in another paella, marisco, instead of meat they use: shrimp, lobster, mussels. Molluscs can be combined in paella with chicken and rabbit, sometimes even sausage and sausages, eggs are added. There is even a paella with black rice, tinted with cuttlefish juice.

And although each region of Spain has its own culinary traditions of preparing paella, there are obligatory common features. So, the indispensable components of real Spanish paella are olive oil, garlic, aromatic herbs, saffron (can be replaced with turmeric) and wine.

The variety of products in recipes is explained by a simple historical fact - paella has always been the food of the poor... Everything in it was available. Rabbits were well caught with snares, the Arab Muslim conquerors did not take pork from the local population, and the Mediterranean Sea supplied unlimited quantities of sea reptiles.

Paella in Valencia is of particular importance. It is she who is cooked in a huge paella on St. Joseph's Day (March 19), and right on the street, at the stake. On Thursdays, this dish is served in all Spanish restaurants, but the Spaniards themselves believe that restaurant paella is for tourists, and the real one must be prepared by ourselves. They cook: at picnics, served during friendly feasts.

Thursday, traditional Spanish paella day. When a Spaniard eats this dish, he feels his unity with the whole country, with all Spaniards from all corners of his homeland. Paella is a dish that is outside of politics, religion, government course and party affiliation, but it all started that way.


The legend of making paella

There was a small fishing town on the shore, and it had to happen that one noble and important gentleman came to this town. The hospitable residents were alarmed, the guest had to be treated with something, but with what? The inhabitants of the town lived modestly and not richly. Each individual did not have the opportunity to feed the guest, then they decided to treat the important gentleman with the whole world, so to speak in a club. The townspeople agreed that everyone will bring what they have at home. Someone brought fish and various seafood, housewives sacrificed some chicken, some rabbit. The butcher shared the meat. All kinds of spices and olives were found in every family. All that was brought, the inhabitants of the town cooked separately and only then added to the rice, which was the basis of the meal. Do not be surprised that the distinguished guest remained, very pleased with the imagination of the inhabitants of the town and the prepared dish. This is one of the legends, but there is another.


Paella with seafood - photo

Ten kilometers south of Valencia, there is a place that is considered the birthplace of Paella. Albufera is a coastal lake, which is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of reclaimed sand. Once upon a time, back in the eighth century, the Arabs came to the Iberian Peninsula, they liked the place very much, moreover, there were excellent conditions on the peninsula for growing rice, which was very popular among the Arabs. The local population also appreciated rice, and they began to add everything that was at hand - seafood, all kinds of game, rabbit meat and chicken. Culinary experts know that rice perfectly absorbs the aromas of ingredients and perfectly combines their tastes. This is the second legend.

History of the name "Paella"

As for the name, there are also versions. They say that the name "Paella" comes from "Patella", which is Latin for "frying pan". It is quite possible because cooking really needs special dishes, but we will talk about this below. They also say that the origin of the name must be sought in the Arabic word "baqiyah" - "remnants". That is, the famous dish was invented by ordinary servants who consumed the remains after the lavish feasts of the Muslim owners. All leftovers were piled up and cooked with rice. Whether it is true or not, it is not known for certain, but it does not matter.


But still, there is one version that is much more romantic and attractive than all the previous ones. This version is linked to "para ella". There was a fisherman who loved a beautiful Spanish woman. Once, having made an appointment with her, he decided to cook for her a romantic aromatic dinner, of course, with wine (Spain and without wine is not Spain). Para ella translates to "For her." It's beautiful, though, perhaps, this version should be insisted on.

Paella recipes

There is no real paella recipe. Do you know why? So, if you ask a hundred Spaniards to tell you the recipe for this dish, you will get exactly one hundred recipes. And if you turn to a hundred Valencians, you will get three hundred recipes. Each Valencian will tell his personal recipe, then the recipe of his beloved wife and another one of his beloved grandmother. If you are interested in Spanish news, you will periodically come across an article that another chef has patented the very, unique and correct paella. The next day, there will be such a fuss in the press that will make your head spin. Every self-respecting chef in every way refutes the patented paella recipe. Critics are tearing each other apart, and housewives are slowly watching this whole "war".

Basic rules for paella recipes

There are a lot of Paella recipes, but there are rules that every cook and every housewife follows, we will list them.

First rule, in order to prepare a dish, you need a special frying pan, which bears the same name "paella". It can be cast iron, aluminum or steel. In this frying pan, not only cook, but also serve the dish to the table. The sides of the pan should be thick and the pan should be wide and shallow. The depth of the pan is calculated so that the rice layer is 1.5-2 cm. Readers have already understood that the liquid evaporates evenly from such a pan, which is optimal for cooking paella. For cooking, a standard frying pan is suitable, the diameter of which ranges from 20 to 90 cm. Each diameter is designed for a certain number of eaters. Spanish women have several such pans, prudently, you will not say anything.

Second rule, open fire. Yes, yes, paella is best cooked over an open fire. Well, in the country you can afford this, but at home you need a burner with a large burner, wide. And finally, the third rule is rice. Only certain varieties of rice are used for the dish: Bomba, Bahia or Senia. These varieties of rice grow in Valencia, which is why Valencians are convinced that only they cook the real and most correct paella, and everything that is prepared in other places is so, a pitiful fake and has nothing to do with paella. Why are these varieties of rice used? Because - because it must perfectly absorb the aromas of all components, be crumbly and in no case stick together, and even less boil - this is important.

The most difficult thing in cooking is the moment when the rice has already absorbed all the aromas. This moment still needs to be caught, but in this matter everything is important, and the thickness of the laid out rice, and the dishes, and the temperature, and, of course, the intuition of the cook.

If intuition does not fail, then the paella will turn out to be great, you will not only have enough air of Spain, the speech of the Spaniards and the air of this beautiful country. Everyone decides for himself how and what kind of paella to cook, just do not count on the fact that the package from the store with the inscription "Spanish Paella" has anything to do with the Spanish dish. A real Spanish dish can be completely cooked in your kitchen, for this you only need three things, desire, patience and time, but Spanish women cope somehow.


Spanish paella on Thursdays

Why is paella eaten on Thursdays? On this score, the Spaniards also have several versions. Some argue that Francisco Franco, the famous dictator, loved two things: paella and sitting in a cozy restaurant, incognito, of course. So this dish was prepared on Thursdays in all restaurants, incognito. Another version says that fishermen went out to sea on Mondays, which means that the purchase of seafood by restaurants took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, which means that a dish of fresh seafood was served on Thursday. The latest version is the exact opposite. The purchase in restaurants took place on Fridays, which means that on Thursday it was necessary to dispose of all the leftovers than the version?

Paella with chicken, rabbit and duck

Now, let's move on to the three most common recipes, so beloved by the Spaniards. The first recipe is Paella with rabbit, chicken and duck. We will cook for 8-10 people (a good dish for a family celebration with invited guests).

We list what we need:

  • legs and back of one rabbit;
  • two duck wings and two duck legs;
  • two chicken wings and two chicken legs;
  • olive oil (40 ml);
  • one tomato, large;
  • of course, rice - 600 gr.;
  • green beans, flat, green - 350 gr.;
  • white beans, canned, large - 200 gr.;
  • water - 2.7 l.;
  • saffron, several strands;
  • salt and a sprig of rosemary.

Well, let's start cooking, we hope to succeed. Nothing, the eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing.

The tomato must be grated on a coarse grater, discard the skin, it is not needed. Further, we cut all the cooked meat into equal pieces. We break our green beans into small plates.




Further, all the chopped meat must be fried in a pan over high heat until a golden brown crust appears. Add green beans to the meat and continue to fry for an additional five minutes, not forgetting to stir constantly.


The third step in preparing Spanish paella, pour the resulting tomato puree into the pan, stirring and peeling off the stuck meat from the bottom of the pan. Then pour in water and cook the beans with meat until half cooked. Next, you need to add saffron, which was previously brewed in a small amount of boiling water. Put the rosemary (twig) into the pan and add salt. We continue to cook the broth for some time, while the rosemary needs to be periodically shifted from place to place. This is necessary in order for the broth to absorb the aroma of rosemary.


Next, throw away the rosemary, put canned beans in the pan and spread the cooked rice over the entire surface of the pan evenly. The most important and most important rule is that RICE IS NOT PRE-SOAKED OR WASHED - this applies to any paella recipe.

Spanish paella with chicken - ready-made dish

There is only one thing left, to wait for the moment when our dish is cooked. You do not need to stir the rice. The excess water should evaporate on its own, and the rest should be absorbed into the rice. The main thing is that no matter what the rice is boiled, and it does not turn out tough. It remains to decorate the dish with lemon, herbs and serve.

Spanish Paella with Chicken - portions

Video recipe for making paella with chicken

The video tells you what is needed to cook Paella for 8 people, and the whole cooking process.

Recipe - Lobster Paella


The second recipe is Paella with Lobster. We will cook for four. First, let's prepare what we need for this recipe:

  • of course, rice (160 gr.);
  • still need a lobster - 1;
  • cook shrimp (100 gr.);
  • more cuttlefish (and what to do - 80 gr.);
  • garlic will be needed (1 zbch.);
  • broth (700 ml.);
  • olive oil (15 ml.);
  • parsley, quite a bit (20 gr.);
  • sweet paprika, required (1.5 tablespoons);
  • and lastly, saffron (several strands) and salt.

For paella, broth matters, therefore, if you have the desire and enthusiasm, we will prepare the broth. If you don't feel like messing around with all the goodness described below, take an ordinary vegetable or chicken broth.

Cooking broth

So broth. We need a thick saucepan, in which we need to fry 15 grams in olive oil. parsley and 15 gr. chopped garlic. Then add 30 gr. nuts (can be replaced with hazelnuts or almonds), shrimp heads 400 gr., and fish bones and heads - 0.5 kg.


Paella with lobster - cooking broth

It sounds and looks not very appetizing, but do not forget, this is only broth, we will not eat all these heads. Everything that we added needs to be fried, and then pour 2.5 - 3 liters of water. All this needs to be cooked for half an hour over medium heat. Then grind everything with a blender and strain.


Then the fun begins, we will cook the lobster. Drive a knife into the lobster's head at a right angle and cut the lobster lengthwise. One half of the lobster is enough for four eaters, but if there is room in the pan, we will cook everything. We take 0.5 liters. Hot water and brew the saffron. We take olive oil, heat and brown the crushed garlic, and then throw it away without mercy. Now you need to increase the heat and for thirty seconds, fry cuttlefish, shrimp and lobster in garlic olive oil.


Cooking rice


Now you need to add the paprika and continue to cook the rice, stirring it over medium heat. When the rice spreads evenly along the bottom of the pan, return the seafood (those same reptiles) to the pan. That's it, reduce the heat, salt and add the remaining parsley.

Vegetarian mushroom paella recipe


Vegetarian Mushroom Paella - Essential Ingredients

The third recipe is "Vegetarian Paella". For 4 persons. As always, we prepare the ingredients that we need:

  • as always, rice is the main thing, 160 gr.;
  • you will need cabbage, cauliflower, a little, only 100 gr.;
  • cook red pepper, of course Bulgarian, also a little, 100 gr.;
  • mushrooms - champignons, others may be suitable, but mushrooms are better (50 gr.);
  • ordinary green onions (30 gr.);
  • 1 tomato;
  • necessarily garlic, we have it everywhere (1 zbch.);
  • broth, of course vegetable (700 gr.);
  • oil, as always olive, without it anywhere (15 ml.);
  • and again, saffron (several strands) and salt.

First, we need to boil the cooked saffron in 100 ml of hot broth or water. The green onion will have to be chopped, but the cabbage, mushrooms, tomato and pepper should be cut into large pieces. Crush a clove of garlic and fry it in olive oil and throw it away. Put cabbage in a frying pan, then, after 5 or 7 minutes, pepper, then after 3-4 minutes add onions, as well as mushrooms and tomatoes.



Pour all this vegetable platter with "saffron water" or broth, bring the whole mixture to a boil and continue to cook, briefly, for 10 minutes. And then add salt. Now, the last and most important thing, pour the rice and boil a little, then reduce the heat and leave it as it is, without stirring. Paella is done when the rice has absorbed all the broth.




Did you know that:

The Spaniards once cooked paella in a frying pan with an area of \u200b\u200b400 square meters. Paella was stirred with a tap. It took six tons of rice and 12.5 tons of meat to cook. The dish was enough to feed 100 thousand people.


Video: Spanish Paella

Spanish recipe from the chef.