PAELLA, PLEASE!
By Juan Ten / Real Paella Catering / www.realpaella.com
Paella is a traditional rice dish from Valencia cooked and served in a large, shallow pan. This colorful dish is composed of a wide variety of ingredients, but Valencian rice, olive oil, and saffron are essential to the recipe.
Rice has been a Valencian staple since the 16th century, and was frequently baked in clay pots. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that modern paella was created in an area around Albufera (a bay south of Valencia), although there is evidence of the dish being present since the 18th century.
“La Paella” is the cooking pan, traditionally and preferably made of iron. The pan is circular and shallow with two round handles on opposite sides with a reasonably thick, flat base. Linguists believe that the word paella comes from the name of the pan in which it is made in. The word itself is derived from the Latin term patella: a flat plate on which offerings were made to the Gods.
The peasants of Valencia would use the paella pan to cook rice with readily available ingredients such as snails and vegetables. Rabbit and chicken were sometimes added for special occasions. At lunch time, workers in the fields would gather around a citrus wood fire were the meal was cooked using this flat pan.
Typically, paella is cooked in Valencia on Sundays. In many family get-togethers, the paella is placed in the middle of the table and is eaten directly from the pan with wooden spoons. Large paellas are usually cooked on a bonfire.
Valencian Paella is the most authentic paella cooked in Valencia. There are nine ingredients that must be used to prepare it: olive oil, saffron, Valencian rice, fresh rabbit and chicken, and fresh vegetables: garrofó (lima beans), tavella, ferraúra (wide green beans) and tomatoes. Traditional paella has a crispy, caramelized bottom (called socarrat in Valencian) that is considered a delicacy. Another typical type of paella in Valencia is the seafood paella. It is made with fresh seafood from the Mediterranean Sea.
Paella is now becoming an international dish and is growing in popularity among Americans.
Real Paella is a unique catering company that brings authentic paella to North Florida. Valencia native, Juan, is the owner and main chef, and uses his family recipes to recreate the traditional, delectable flavors of Spain. Real Paella is more than a catering company, Real Paella offers guests a very unique and entertaining culinary experience with cooking demonstrations, live flamenco music, delicious Spanish tapas and of course, authentic savory paella.
