PERFECT PAELLA
Spanish rice dish is full of tradition
Paul Rivas knows his paella. After all, he grew up eating the Spanish rice dish his father Francisco introduced to Vancouver decades ago as co-owner of the popular La Bodega restaurant. Now that Rivas is chef-owner of Bodega on Main, he’s continued the paella tradition.
“It’s my dad’s original recipe, and I always find it better than anything I’ve had in Spain,” Rivas says. “I love cooking paellas. They’re a little labour intensive, but they’re fun to cook.”
Paella (pronounced pah-ayyah) is to Spain as pizza is to Italy and baguettes are to France. It is a dish made for sharing, a wide, flat pan of fragrant rice topped with vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood, as striking to look at as it is delicious to eat.
It was originally a peasant dish that originated around the port city of Valencia, cooked over outdoor fires and made from humble ingredients such as onions, peppers, rabbit, snails, shellfish, and rice. But now it’s enjoyed throughout Spain and, indeed, in many parts of the world.
“I think there’s 200 varieties. It’s regional,” says Rivas. “The Valencia version, because it’s coastal, it has lots of seafood. Some places even use duck, which is very tasty. How it evolved over time is crazy.”
Paella began with the two cultures that most influenced Spain: Roman and Arabic.
The Romans arrived in what was then known as Hispania around 200 B.C. and introduced the irrigation that made farming viable around Valencia. They also brought wine, olives and the flat metal pan known as a paellera, for which paella is named.
Then, around 700 AD, the Moors crossed the Mediterranean from North Africa to conquer Hispania. They brought the rice that grows so well in those Roman-irrigated fields, as well as many spices, fruits and vegetables. From all these imports, paella was born.
As with any dish with such a long history, there are many traditions associated with paella.
The rice is the most important ingredient, and should not be overwhelmed by the meat and seafood. It should be a short- or medium-grain rice, preferably Spanish bomba or the easier-tofind arborio. These absorb much more liquid (and flavour) than long-grain rice.
Although you can cook paella in a big frying pan, it’s best to use the traditional wide, flat pan which allows the rice to be spread in a thin layer so it cooks quickly. The pan can be as small as 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter or as wide as a small car, like the ones you see in outdoor markets throughout Spain and France.
Traditionally, the rice cooks over a hot open fire. As it cooks, it develops a deep golden crust on the bottom called the socarrat. Even cooking it on a stovetop and finishing it in the oven, as Rivas does, should create the socarrat.
“It’s the best,” Rivas says. “That is what a lot of people want, that caramelized crust.”
The dish starts with a sofrito, an aromatic base of onions, garlic, peppers, and sometimes spices such as paprika and saffron. The rice is stirred in so it’s completely coated with sofrito, followed by a hot chicken or seafood stock. The meat, seafood and vegetables are arranged on top.
Paella should not be stirred, but left to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is plumply al dente. Each grain should remain distinct — paella should not be creamy like risotto.
The most traditional paella contains chicken or rabbit, shellfish, and green or lima beans. Rivas makes a version of that at Bodega with chicken, chorizo, squid, mussels, clams and prawns as well as peas and red peppers.
He also does a seafood variation with squid ink, as well as a vegetarian paella.
“It has become a really big seller,” he says. “We put grilled fennel in it and some padrón peppers for a bit of heat.”
One of the things Rivas loves most about paella is that it pairs so well with almost any style of wine, from light whites to soft rosés to bold reds.
That’s good news for anyone planning to head to the Vancouver International Wine Festival (Feb. 24 to March 4, vanwinefest. ca), where Spain and Portugal are the theme regions.
Pick up a few bottles of trendy Godello or classic Rioja, and then whip up a feast of fragrant rice for your friends and family.