The original paella from Valencia's Albufera region, cooked over orange wood fire in wide steel pans, featuring rabbit, chicken, snails, and flat green beans—never seafood or chorizo in the authentic version.
Ingredients
- 400g Bomba rice
- 800g mixed rabbit and chicken (cut small)
- 200g ferraura (flat green beans)
- 100g garrofón (lima beans)
- 100g snails (optional)
- 100ml olive oil
- 2 ripe tomatoes (grated)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp paprika
- pinch saffron threads
- 1.2L chicken stock
- rosemary sprig
- salt
Instructions
The Pan
Use traditional paella pan (40cm wide). Heat oil over high flame.
Sofrito
Brown meat deeply (15 mins). Push to edges. Add beans, sauté 5 mins. Add garlic, then grated tomato. Cook until tomato darkens (5 mins).
Spicing
Add paprika, stir quickly to prevent burning. Immediately add stock infused with saffron.
The Boil
Bring to rolling boil. Add rice, spreading evenly. Do not stir again.
The Socarrat
Cook on high 10 minutes, then reduce to low 8 minutes. Listen for crackling (socarrat forming). Test rice at edge.
Resting
Remove from heat. Cover with newspaper and cloth. Rest 10 minutes. Garnish with rosemary. Serve directly from pan.