How to make paella Valenciana at home according to chef José Andrés
When I think of Spanish cuisine, paella often comes to mind. The dish has positive memories from a trip to Spain a few years back — I couldn't stop ordering it. And José Andrés has positive memories, too, from making the dish with his own dad.
"One dish I cook with my dad a lot was paella. And I would help him make the fire," he told USA TODAY. "Through life, my daughters, they've been learning how to make paella. But when we went to Valencia, I thought it was a great idea to do the search — the search for the perfect paella."
Andrés and his daughters Carlota, Inés and Lucia take viewers on a journey through their father's home country in a new six-part series "José Andrés and Family in Spain," which premiered last month on Discovery+.
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While filming the show, the family visited Valencia for paella cooking lessons and a competition.
For Andrés, this part of the trip was extra special.
While there, his daughters learned from experts who had a lot to share — more than their father, Andrés said.
"When I ate the paella that they made from beginning — shopping ingredients — to the end, (it) was fascinating to see how these three — to me little things — because they are still little things to me — how they were so successful in making one of the most difficult dishes in the history of mankind."
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Andrés shared his recipe for Paella Valenciana with USA TODAY.
Paella Valenciana
Makes: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Spanish extra virgin olive oil
2 chicken thighs (bone-in), cut into small pieces
2 rabbit legs, cut into small pieces
Kosher salt
1 cup romano beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
? cup garrafó beans, or peeled fresh fava beans or lima beans
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 pinch saffron
4 cups water or chicken stock (low-sodium is best)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup Spanish bomba rice
Instructions:
In a 13- or 15-inch paella pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high until it is hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and rabbit pieces. Sear the meats on all sides until well-browned, about 8 minutes, then season with salt. Move the meat to the outer edges of the paella pan, creating a circle in the center.
Add the romano and garrafo beans (or lima or fava beans) in the center of the pan and season with salt. Cook the beans until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then push the beans to the outer edges of the paella pan with the meat.
Pour the crushed tomato puree into the center of the pan and let it cook, stirring occasionally until it reduces by half and begins to turn a deep red color, about 5 minutes.
Stir the meat and vegetables into the tomato and continue to cook for about 3 minutes to caramelize the tomato sauce.
Crumble the saffron into the pan and add the stock. Season with salt and add the rosemary.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the rosemary and add the rice, taking care to spread it evenly around the pan and mixed with the meat and vegetables. Cook for 8 minutes on high flame, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. You should see the rice floating around the pan as the stock boils.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and do a final stir of the rice to make sure the meat and vegetables are evenly distributed across the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, and do not stir as the liquid cooks down. You want the rice to be slightly al dente, with a nice firm center. When you have 2 minutes left, there should be little liquid left in the pan, increase the heat to high to get the crunchy soccarat, the caramelized crust at the bottom of the pan. When the rice is done, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe courtesy of José Andrés.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paella Valenciana: How to make the dish according to chef José Andrés
