Tusind tak! Jeg tror nu jeg holder mig til kyllingeverisonen - tofu??
Jeg kan ikke lade være med at citerer følgende opskrift, som angiveligt er
skrevet af en indfødt kender. Han benægeter at fisk hører hjemmei Paella.
MVH
Peter
http://iacoma.cs.uiuc.edu/martinez/paella/
The Mother of All Paellas: Valencian Paella
Written by José F. Martínez
Valencian paella is perhaps one of the most controversial courses made in
Spain. Original from Valencia (as you may have already guessed!), it has
traditionally been a must for most of its population's diet. As far as I
recall, my family has eaten paella every single Sunday. I still remember my
mother trying and cooking some alternative courses, and the rest of us
(especially my father) showing a mix of anger and unpleasant resignation in
our faces, evident enough to let her know what that was about.
It is supposed to be made following a rather strict procedure, yet there are
many paella-like rice recipes all across Spain that have little to do with
our understanding of it, and that in many cases make us jump when we see
such inventions being served to some unaware pink-toasted tourist.
Paella's recipe has been the source of many bitter discussions, believe it
or not. In one occasion, we even brought a case to the Valencian Parliament,
about whether we should use bell peppers or not in it.
Despite living in the US, thousands of kilometres away from home, I still
proudly make and eat paella every Sunday. I have sent this recipe to David
Koufaty in the hope that you will enjoy this 1st-prize course. I expect some
critic messages from other connoisseurs (I think every Valencian feels a
little bit like it when it comes to talking about paella), which I will
gladly read and, eventually, reply. However, this recipe is the result of
attending to and enjoying many paella makings by many cooks, so chances are
that many Valencians will agree.
Although there are two basic flavours of paella, meat or fish, many of us
think that the real, real one is the former. The meat used for it is either
chicken, or rabbit, or both. For those not very keen on strong meat
flavours, I recommend chicken. Rabbit is delicious, but it may be difficult
to obtain in the US, any way. Here are the ingredients, or their substitutes
had I not been able to locate the exact element:
Olive oil. Don't bother using any other. The scent of chicken being fried in
olive oil is the smell we have engraved in our deepest recalls. It does make
a difference.
Chicken and Rabbit (2-3pc/person). The rabit is exquisite, and the broth it
produces will make the rice much more flavourful. If you dislike it, try
cooking with some pieces and discarding them before serving. If you really
dislike the thought, don't use it.
Lima beans (Garrofó) (5-6/person). Garrofó is a variety typically grown in
Valencia, which has a little black spot in the centre.
Green beans (5-6/person). The ideal are the flat ones, better without those
annoying threads. They are not as available as roundish green beans in the
US, and those will work well, so do not bother shopping around.
Tomato. I usually use those wholly peeled canned tomatoes, which are pretty
little. Use 1 every four people.
Sweet paprika (pimentón dulce). This is not the exact ingredient, for the
scent of the originial is much fresher. Make sure that it is not hot.
Saffron. If you can afford it, it is said to be the key ingredient! However,
I have eaten paella with no saffron 99% of the times; it is so expensive! We
usually use turmeric (beware of the stains!). The paella has to be
yellow-like, rather that white.
Fresh rosemary.
Lemon (one every 4 people).
Water (300cc/person).
Salt (at your discretion).
Pearl rice (125gr or 100cc/person). Medium-size grain will work, too (it is
what I most times use). Do not use long-size grain: cooking times are
different, and we do not use it in Valencia. And please do not use
Uncle-Ben-like heresies!
Despite many opinions, I shall state that paella is a no-garlic, no-onion,
no-pea, no-snail, no-bell-pepper, no-mussel course.
A key thing is the recipient in which you are going to cook. We use the
paella in Valencia ("paella" means "pan" in Valencian). Generally speaking,
the shallower the better. Thick rice cookings are difficult to manage and
the rice is not steamed homogeneously, so try and use a container such that
your paella does not grow beyond 7-8cm height. My experience tells me that a
big pan is fine for 3 people. I have never dared with 4, but you may want to
give it a try; in that case I usually cook two paellas in parallel (which in
turn impresses my guests!).
You need to put the Lima beans into water overnight, do not forget it. If
you do, you can still boil them twenty minutes before beginning to cook, but
they will not have such a nice aspect (they will be wrinkled).
Heat olive oil to medium-high temperature,so it barely covers the bottom of
the pan. Excess of oil makes the course pretty heavy. The best adviser is
experience. Olive oil usually spreads as it warms up, so be conservative.
Clean the chicken, try and remove as much fat as possible, but unless you
really dislike it, leave the skin: it gives a nice flavour to the course.
Salt and start frying the chicken.
Meanwhile, wash the vegetables and split all green beans. Dice the tomatoes
into tiny pieces: you should not see any tomato chunk in a paella serving.
Salt the vegetables and turn the chicken over.
Prepare a recipient with fresh water. The rule here varies very much
depending on cooking styles. I usually reserve 300cc of water per person.
When the chicken has turned into a golden colour, take the pan half way out
of the range and put the chicken in the colder side. It actually does not
matter if you do not do it, but it eases the roasting of the vegetables.
Paella pans in Valencia are quite wide and slightly concave, and the oil
stays in the centre, so we move the chicken to the periphery and continue in
the middle with the vegetables.
Drop the green beans and the Lima beans into the oil and fry them for four
or five minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the paprika and stir again.
Fry for 20-30 seconds and then add the tomato. If you fry the paprika for
too long you will ruin it. The water the tomato contains will cool down the
oil enough to stop the process. Stir for a minute, then put the pan back in
its original position and mix everything. Then add the water.
Use a wooden stick to touch the bottom of the pan and measure the height of
the water. You will need it later. We do not need such a stick in Valencia,
since the handles of our paella pans show on the inside to indicate where
the water is supposed to reach (there are different pan sizes for different
amounts of guests).
Let it boil at the same temperature for twenty minutes. Then take the pan
out of the range (but don't turn it off). Add water until you get back to
the same height: use the wooden stick for this delicate operation. Then put
it back to the range. Add salt and let it boil.
As soon as it starts boiling, use a spoon to taste the water. It is
important to take the water from the bubbles: it's the only part of the
water's surface with no oil. Taste for salt. Add if necessary. Don't be slow
in this, you want to add the rice before too much water evaporates. Then add
the saffron.
Now, add the rice, 100cc per person. If you want to add more, my rule of
thumb is: always 3 times the amount of rice in water. Remember, however,
that you want to keep it shallow, 7-8cm. Many others use twice as much water
as rice instead, but then times are different. I shall trust my granny on
this.
Shake the pan slightly to spread the rice, and let the water boil again.
Boil for ten minutes, and then lower the temperature of the range, and let
it boil for another ten minutes.
Experience in this crucial process is the best adviser. Ranges behave
differently, waters have different compositions, so you might want to play a
little by shifting that lower-temperature time point to sooner or later. The
total time cooking the rice, however, should still be twenty minutes. In my
particular case, 8-12 gives good results. We will call it the switching
point.
Whilst the rice is being cooked at its final stage, and when you no longer
have a water layer covering the rice, put a couple pieces of rosemary on top
of the rice. The steam coming out will activate the scent of the rosemary,
which will bathe the paella. This happens typically in the last five
minutes.
If you are an excellent chef, that paella is almost ready: simply take it
out of the range and cover it for a couple minutes to concentrate the
rosemary scent and maybe soften those last rebel rice grains. However, it is
not rare to find that the rice is a little undercooked. Knowing that next
time you will have to shift the switching point slightly backwards, this
time simply lower the temperature again and cover. The rice loses a little
bit of presence, but it will still be delicious.
Finally, many people like to squeeze some lemon over their course. I
personally love it.
I hope you enjoy this fantastic piece of Valencia's culture. Your comments
will be appreciated.