Two Delicious Ways To Make Paella

It is delicious, nutritious and is practically a symbol of Spanish cuisine. These delicious paella recipes offer the pleasure of a healthy meal that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

Paella is a true delicacy and consists of a combination of rice, stir-fried vegetables, shellfish, chicken or red meat. It is high in protein, vitamin A and minerals such as zinc, selenium and iron. In addition, the crustaceans are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. This dish is therefore very good to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Two delicious ways to make paella

1. Valencian paella

Valencian paella is also seen as the traditional way to make paella. Although many find Valencian paella quite confusing as it contains many different types of rice.

Traditional Valencian paella – as in the recipe below – contains rabbit, chicken and beans. It is different from a shellfish paella or mixed paella, which is a mixture of shellfish and chicken.

Ingredients for four to six people

• 2 cups of rice (400 g)
• ½ red bell pepper (30 g)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups chicken stock (1 l)
• One medium tomato (60 g)
• 1 small sprig of rosemary
• Extra virgin olive oil
• ½ kg chicken, cut into pieces
• ½ kg rabbit, cut into pieces
• 1 handful of string beans (80 g)

• ½ cup white beans (100 g)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (5 g)
• A few strands of saffron (you can also replace the saffron with yellow food coloring, but this is not recommended)

Preparation

1. Fry the chicken and rabbit pieces in a paella pan (a large, deep frying pan) with olive oil.
2. Cook until the meat is lightly browned on all sides, then add the string beans. Stir for a few minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
3. Cut the tomato into small pieces and add it to the pan along with the white beans. Then add the bell pepper and mix everything well. Bake it for a few more minutes.
4. Then add the chicken stock, saffron, rosemary, salt and pepper and turn up the heat slightly.
5. While it is boiling, add the rice and let it cook for a while. You can also add some salt for taste.
6. Cut the red bell pepper into strips and then add them to the rest of the ingredients.
7. When the water has almost completely evaporated, turn the heat back to low. Put a lid on the pan or cover the pan with aluminum foil and let everything cook for another 10 minutes.
8. Once the rice is soft, turn off the heat and let it sit for another ten minutes before serving. As you can see, it doesn’t have to be difficult to make paella.

Seafood paella

Ingredients for 4 people

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion (60 g)
• ½ kg squid
• ½ kg fresh shrimps
• 1 medium tomato (60 g)
• ½ red bell pepper (30 g)
• 2 cups of rice (400 g)
• 4 cups fish stock (1 L)
• ½ cup peas (100 g)
• 1 sprig fresh parsley
• Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
• Yellow (edible) food coloring or a few threads of saffron
• 1 handful of shells, cockles and mussels (150 g)

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning and peeling the shrimp. Be sure to save the shells so they can go in the stock.
2. Clean the squid well and cut it into rings. Wash the shells with plenty of water to get all the sand out.
3. Then put some olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the bell pepper, the diced tomato and the onion and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
4. Then add the squid and sea shells. Let it boil for a few minutes so that you get a stock.
5. Then add two cups of rice to it and stir well. Then add four cups of the previously prepared fish stock. You can also add some water to it.
6. While that is cooking, add a teaspoon of yellow food coloring or some threads of saffron and let it cook for 3 more minutes.
7. Then, while there is still liquid in the pan, add the fresh peas, shrimp and chopped parsley. Also add some salt and pepper to taste.
8. Finally, add a few more peppercorns and unpeeled shrimp for decoration. Do this when the moisture has almost completely evaporated.
9. Lower the heat, put a lid on the pan and let everything cook for another 15 minutes until the rice grains are soft. Drizzle over a little olive oil and serve.