Everything you need to cook a good paella.

Would you like to recreate that Paella perfect of the Valencian Community or Catalonia? It's okay, you don't have a paellero, a pan for paellas or firewood from the orange tree. But you have the ingredients in any supermarket and, with what we are going to tell you, you will be able to get the flavor and texture of this famous dish. Try it and you will see that it is delicious.

What are the secrets of a good paella?

Knowing these secrets and what they should allow you to control the process so that it is perfect. It's nothing special, cooking is based on physics and chemistry.

• The container: Regarding the material, the ideal is to use a cast iron container. Materials such as clay are not recommended as they give off heat in another way and fail to give it the texture and flavor that a paella needs. As for the size, the ideal is to use a traditional paella pan or also a cast iron pot.
• Firewood : Originally, orange wood was used. When burned, it gives off an unmistakable aroma, which gives the paella an inimitable nuance, which only the original paella has. But nowadays cooking with firewood is not allowed in restaurants, for safety reasons, so trying such a paella is difficult anyway.
• The variety of rice: Bomba or Sènia can be used. Good results are achieved with any, but it is always important to control the amount of water that is introduced well.
• Technique – This includes knowing when to stir the rice, when to turn the heat up or down, etc. You learn better with experience.
• The order and time in which the ingredients are cooked : each ingredient must be added at the right time so that it cooks properly and gives the rice the desired flavor.
• Pressure and environmental humidity : in our country, the conditions are quite similar, so the difference is not very noticeable. But it is not the same to cook this dish in Mexico as it is in Norway, since the temperature, environmental pressure, humidity... all influence the speed at which the water in the paella evaporates. And this is very important.

So how do I make paella at home?

As you can see, you play with a large number of variables. One of the most important, as we have seen, is the type of pan you use. You can make incredible paellas both in an original paella pan, or in a cast iron pot if you prefer to be more practical. In fact, a cast iron pot like the ones from Mellerware is the one that we recommend to make the recipe that we will give you.

What difference is there when making paella with a cast iron pot?

Cast iron pots are a very efficient container for their size and quality. These manage to obtain a very uniform cooking and, above all, they are highly recommended for soupy and sweet rice dishes. On the other hand, a traditional paella pan has a flatter and shallower size, with which you will achieve a denser and more toasted result.

However, for the recipe that we are going to recommend, we encourage you to make it with a cast iron pot since it is a very juicy recipe with a lot of meat, ideal for this type of utensil.

Summer paella recipe

You will see that, with this recipe, you achieve a flavor very similar to that of the traditional one, but with a consistency that you will love, thanks to the cast iron pot.

Ingredients

This recipe is for about 5 people. Don't worry if you don't put the same amounts of tomato, oil, etc. As we have said, there are details that are learned through experience. If you want to make less, simply prepare half of all the ingredients.

• 200 ml of virgin olive oil of 0.4º acidity.
• 4 cloves of garlic.
• 200 g Pork rib.
• 200 g Chicken meat.
• 200 g rabbit meat.
• 50 g of red pepper.
• 300 g of flat green beans.
• 70 g of ripe tomato or crushed tomato already prepared.
• 500 g of round rice or bomba.
• 1.5 liters of hot water.
• Salt to taste.
• Colorant.

Preparation

1. First, we are going to prepare the ingredients: chop the pepper, the beans, chop or crush the tomato and reserve.

2. Cut the three kinds of meat well and set them aside as well.

3. Heat the oil in the cast iron pot.

4. When it is very hot, add the salt and the garlic cloves. It is better that you put the salt now and not later, since it will make the oil better able to keep the heat and, thus, all the ingredients will cook better.

5. Put all the meat in the pot and fry until it is well browned. It is important to move it constantly.

6. Add the bell pepper and beans. Mix all the meat well with the vegetables, although if you see that the meat is overcooked, remove it to the edges of the pot.

7. Pour in half of the hot water and the food coloring. Wait for the rice to consume the water.

8. Add all the chopped tomato and mix well with the rest of the ingredients, letting everything cook together a bit.

9. Add the rice and keep stirring. You have to let the rice toast a bit in the pot, which takes a little longer than in a conventional paella pan.

10. Add the rest of the water. It may seem like a lot at first, but you will see that three parts of water are always needed for every part of rice. Since you have to leave the pot uncovered, the water that is not consumed by the rice will evaporate.

11. Let the water be consumed until you have the rice to the point you like. If you want it "socarrat" (roasted rice at the bottom of the pot), you can raise the heat for a couple of minutes just before turning it off.

Enjoy and experiment with different paellas in your cast iron pot. You know, after the summer paella, there is the one for winter, and many more recipes... don't forget to see the ones we have prepared for you!