Paella is rightfully considered the pinnacle of Spanish culinary art. Simple, and at the same time delicious rice dish with different fillings.
There are more than 300 different recipes for this dish. They have only one thing in common: rice with saffron, olive oil and sea salt.
Classic paella - the basic principles of cooking
The basis of the classic paella - rice with spices with seafood and chicken.
Proper paella is made from rice varieties Kalasparra, bomb or Bahia. This rice does not boil soft and does not stick together. It remains juicy crumbly. But you can use any round rice of good quality. Steamed rice for paella is not suitable!
For paella use chicken breast or fillet. Some recipes also use other meats, such as beef.
In addition to chicken, broth is required. Therefore, often take a whole chicken carcass, separating the fillets in the course of cooking.
Seafood must be fresh. Frozen lose their taste.
Cook the paella in a deep frying pan with a thick bottom. Hence the name of the dish, which is translated from Spanish as "pan".
Recipe 1. Classic paella
Ingredients
chicken fillet - 450 g;
olive oil - 30 ml;
pork shoulder - 250 g;
two lemons;
bulb;
garlic;
green onion;
mussels;
sweet red pepper - 80 g;
shrimp - 500 g;
four tomatoes;
fresh green peas - 125 g;
white rice - 300 g;
green beans - 175 g;
saffron - ten twigs;
chicken broth - 600 ml;
squid meat - 400 g
Method of preparation
1. Put on the fire a deep frying pan with a thick bottom. Pour in olive oil and heat. Wash chicken fillet, dry with napkins and season with spices. Fry three minutes on each side.
2. We clean garlic and onions from husks. Shred onions with thin feathers. Cut the garlic into slices. Add onion, paprika and garlic to the pan, stir and cook for three minutes on moderate heat.
3. Tomatoes and red pepper, cleared of seeds, cut into cubes. Add vegetables to the pan. Stir. 4. Add rice to the rest of the ingredients and stir. Tomim a couple of minutes. Put the saffron and pour all the broth.
5. We bring paella to boiling. Squids clean, cut into strips and add to the rest of the ingredients. Stew all together until soft rice.
6. Now add the peeled shrimps, green peas, green beans and mussels. Stir, cover and simmer for another ten minutes.
7. Serve the paella right in the pan, garnished with lemon slices.
Recipe 2. Classic paella with chicken, fish and seafood
Ingredients
turmeric;
rice - 150 g;
sea salt;
chilli pepper - 3 cm;
paprika;
three fresh tomatoes;
dry white wine - 200 ml;
garlic - three slices;
broth - 300 ml;
bulb;
fresh mussels in shells - 400 g;
olive oil - 90 ml;
squid - 300 g;
Chorizo sausage - 200 g;
shrimp - 200 g;
chicken breast;
white sea fish - 300 g
Method of preparation
1. Heat the olive oil in a wide flat pan. Peel the garlic and finely crumble. Peel the peeled onion finely. Throw in the garlic oil. After a couple of seconds, add the onion and fry it until transparent.
2. Tomatoes doused with boiling water and peel off the skins. Pulp vegetable cut into slices. Chop the chili peppers into thin rings.
3. Rinse the chicken fillet, dip it in napkins and cut into slices. Put the meat in the pan and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Cut the sausage into slices. Chop fish fillets and squids in strips. Put the unpeeled mussels and shrimps, sausage and squids in the pan. Stir and simmer for about eight minutes.
4. Put in rice. Season everything with paprika, salt and turmeric. Stir and pour broth and wine. As soon as the contents begin to boil, twist the heat and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. Serve with greens and lemon slices.
Recipe 3. Classic paella with vegetables and ham
Ingredients
three chicken thighs;
greenery;
120 g of ham;
four bay leaves;
100 g sausages;
seasoning;
100 ml of olive oil;
5 g saffron;
four cloves of garlic;
900 ml of broth;
two bulbs;
330 grams of rice;
two pods of Bulgarian pepper; two tomatoes.
Method of preparation
1. Wash rice and pour water.
2. Rinse the chicken thighs under the tap and boil them until tender. Cool, separate the flesh from the bones and cut into small pieces. Clean the onions. Cut the stems from the peppers and clean the seeds. Scald tomatoes with boiling water and remove thin skin. Tomato pulp, sausage, ham and other vegetables cut into small pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan. Put chicken fillet, sausage and ham in it. Fry for about three minutes. Now add tomatoes, bell peppers and greens. Fry another seven minutes. Add rice and mix.
4. Pour in the broth, season with spices, put the garlic and bay leaf. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes until rice absorbs all the liquid. Stir and serve right in the pan.
Recipe 4. Classic paella with vegetables and chicken hearts
Ingredients
two small bulbs;
90 ml of olive oil;
three cloves of garlic;
half a liter of broth;
300 g chicken hearts;
60 g fresh chickpeas;
sea salt;
half a can of corn;
large tomato;
half a can of green peas;
stack round rice.
Bulgarian pepper - two pods.
Method of preparation
1. Rinse the chicken hearts, remove the film and cut off any excess. Cut each heart in half lengthwise and rinse well again.
2. Chop the peeled onions and fry them in a deep frying pan in olive oil.
3. Drain the garlic chives, wash and finely crumble. Add to the bow.
4. Slice the tomato crosswise and lower for a couple of minutes in boiling water. Drain and remove the thin skin.
5. Once the onion has a light ruddy, add hearts to it and salt it. Keep frying, stirring constantly.
6. Peel Bulgarian pepper from seeds. Chop tomatoes and peppers in small pieces.
7. Rinse thoroughly. Put it in the pan, when all the moisture from the hearts is evaporated. Stir and continue frying over low heat, stirring occasionally.
8. Now add peppers and tomatoes. Mix gently and simmer for about seven minutes. Pour in the broth so that it completely covers the rice. As soon as the contents boil, cover and simmer for ten minutes on low heat. Stir every three minutes. 9. Add the washed corn and green peas to the paella. Stir. Simmer for another five minutes, covered with a lid. Remove from heat and let stand for a while without opening.
Recipe 5. Classic paella with rabbit and bacon
Ingredients
a bag of saffron;
250 grams of rice;
5 g sweet paprika;
100 g of bacon;
three bay leaves;
rabbit carcass;
30 g tomato paste;
two pods of Bulgarian pepper;
150 ml semi-sweet white wine;
bow - head.
Method of preparation
1. Wash the carcass of the rabbit, dry it and cut it into pieces. Fill the meat with cold water, add cloves, laurel leaf, salt and cook for about an hour.
2. Sweet peppers free from the stem and seeds. Wrap in foil and send to the oven for 15 minutes. Then unfold the foil and set for a few minutes under the grill. We put the baked pepper in a bag and tie it tightly.
3. Cut the bacon into thin strips. Remove the rabbit meat from the broth and separate the pulp from the bones. Cut the meat into small pieces.
4. Heat olive oil in a deep cast-iron frying pan and fry bacon in it until golden brown. Onions clean, finely crumble and add to the pan with bacon. Fry until transparent.
5. Saffron pour a small amount of broth. Pieces of rabbit spread in a pan with bacon. Add the fire. Put the tomato paste, season with paprika and pour in the saffron broth. Stir.
6. Pour the rice, salt and pour all the wine. Put the leaves of laurel, mix and pour all the hot broth. Reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes, covering the pan with a lid.
7. Remove peeled from peeled pepper. Dry the flesh of the vegetable with a towel and cut into small pieces. Add to the pan. Stew until cooked rice. At the end turn on the fire for a maximum of a minute. Remove from heat and serve.
Recipe 6. Vegetarian Spicy Classic Paella
Ingredients
lemon;
200 grams of round rice;
2 g red ground pepper;
80 g leeks;
100 ml of olive oil;
80 g red bell pepper;
400 ml vegetable broth;
two cloves of garlic;
sea salt;
half a pod of green chili; five sprigs of saffron;
80 g carrots;
stem of petiole celery;
80 g cauliflower;
80 g of young peas;
80 g Brussels sprouts;
80 g green beans.
Method of preparation
1. Wash and peel vegetables. Chop the leek into rings, chop the celery and chilli stripes, chop the red bell pepper and garlic into small pieces.
2. You can use both fresh and frozen vegetables. Peel carrots, cut into slices. Cauliflower and broccoli disassembled into inflorescences. String beans cut into three centimeters.
3. Take a skillet with a thick bottom, pour in olive oil and fry in it leeks to a soft state. Add the Bulgarian pepper, celery and garlic. Keep frying for a couple more minutes.
4. Put the rice and fry it with vegetables, stirring continuously, for about two minutes. Season with saffron and red pepper. Add the remaining vegetables and mix again. Salt and cover with hot vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices and serve directly in the pan.
Classic Paella - Tips and Tricks
- To cook the paella correctly, turn on the fire at the very maximum and hold for just a minute.
- Saffron is a rather expensive seasoning, so it can be replaced with curry.
- Pre-thaw frozen vegetables and lightly dry.
- Once all the ingredients have been laid, do not mix paella.
- Paella rice should preferably not be washed.
