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The original paella recipe

By Anthony Pemberton

Paella RecipeOften seen as the national dish of Spain, the dish Paella finds its origins on Spain´s East coast in the region of Valencia. A dish with rice as its base, it is said to exist because of Arab influence as many Arab families during the Moorish rule would cook rice-based dishes with spices, meat and vegetables thus giving rise to the eating of rice in Spain.

As with many things in Spain even the cooking of Paella has a tradition; it is done by men in large paelleras (large cooking pans for paella) with key ingredients like olive oil, saffron and paprika which give the dish the hearty and slightly spicy taste it has. Also paella originally is not supposed to have contained seafood but it is believed that in Valencia at the time when the popularity of eating paella spread, poorer fishing village families substituted fish for meat in the dish which is now the most popular type of paella.  

Spanish RecipesThe paella recipe now well-known has not only across Spain but also throughout the world to other places in Europe, America, Australia and the Philippines; this fact has given rise to many new variations of the dish as well as giving it international fame. Around many places in the world there are paella and rice festivals especially in the region of Valencia. Not only that but throughout Spain many cooking courses for paella can be found, most notably in Valencia. 

Below is a paella recipe for one of the most commonly seen varieties, mixed paella or ´paella mixta´.

Paella  Mixta Ingredients 

Serves 4-6

1/2 cup (2 fl. oz) of olive oil
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
32 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups (32 fl. oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (16 oz) paella rice
1 teaspoon of ground saffron
1 teaspoon of paprika
4 medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 cup (4 oz) green peas

Preparation: Heat the olive oil in a paella pan. Add the chicken, and cook until browned on all sides. Then add the shrimp and all the vegetables apart from the peas. Once the vegetables have softened add the spices and the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Mix in the rice, and pour in the vegetable broth and cook covered until all the liquid has been absorbed, the shrimps are cooked, and the chicken and rice are tender. Finally add the peas and stir in. Once cooked allow the paella to cool, and serve.



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