Cookbook | Cuisine of Spain | Recipes
Clean well the snails, the chicken and the rabbit. Cut the chicken and the rabbit in small pieces. Put olive oil in a paella pan, and when hot, stir-fry the chicken and the rabbit pieces. When that is all sofregit, add the tomato and stir-fry til well sofregit, then the vegetables and stir-fry til they reduce. Add a little bit of paprika and, preventing it from being burnt, then add the water, as described next.
Optionally, in another container, water must have boiled alone for half an hour. You can also pour cold water directly, but the important thing is that the water is calcarean, as it is in Valencia. After that, throw the (boiling) water to the paella (double volume than the rice, use a cup for measuring). Add the saffron and salt to taste, and at last add the snails. Let lively boil for around 10 minutes. Correct the evaporated water during these minutes by adding a little more water. Then add the rice and stir. The rice must hard cook to slow fire 10 minutes and 10 minutes to slower fire. Set the fire off, put some small branches of rosemary over the rising rice, and let the rice soak the remaining liquid in. Remove from fire and cover with some newspaper sheets for about 10 minutes. Once the rice gets dry the paella is ready to be served.
Some lemon juice may be poured over the paella. The magic words "bon profit" must be said. Paella dish is usually eaten on the very paella with a spoon. As a local rule says, no bread must be eaten if the paella is to be finished.
The soul of this dish is the saffron. It comes in threads, is not cheap, a little goes a long way. Lightly toast the rice in olive oil before adding the chicken stock flavored with the saffron. Add some chicken, chorizo sausage, or pork, in bite-sized pieces. Crab claws, mussells, scallops, and shrimp to provide flavor of the sea. Green peas and pimento peppers added for the color. Fits wonderfully with concept of Cooking for Sport once you get the basics.
