VIVA ESPAÑA!
Forget burgers. Nothing’s hotter this summer than rustling up the perfect outdoor paella in a giant pan on the BBQ, says devotee ROSE PRINCE
As evenings get balmier, it’s the traditional spanish dish fast challenging barbecued sausage, kebab and burger on British patios. The action happens in a ‘paella’, a wide, shallow pan with two handles that has lent its name to dozens of varieties of the famous recipe made with rice, seafood and meat.
There is one rule: a paella is not a paella unless cooked outside. True spanish cooks say that a rice dish cooked outside is a paella; any rice cooked indoors is simply arroz — ‘rice’.
now, those holiday memories of paellas steaming gently in the iberian summer sunshine are being recreated in our back gardens. On a weekend afternoon, the familiar aromas of barbecues — scorched bangers, charred chops — are switching to more subtle scents: saffron, paprika and garlic.
These scrumptious wafts have not only uplifted our alfresco meals, the paella trend has given those who love to cook plenty to talk about.
What really should go into the paella? it is a grave matter. Jamie Oliver was once slapped down for including chorizo in a chicken version, prompting the fury of spanish cooks who deemed it ‘an offence’. similarly, gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White ignited a row by, respectively, adding chilli and wine.
Paella is precious to the spanish, especially in rice-growing provinces such as valencia. But while some aspects are non-negotiable, other ingredients are flexible according to season or region. even alone or with just a few others, paella cooking is a more gentle, leisurely and less stressful form of outdoor cooking.
CHORIZO’S A NO-NO, JAMIE
valencians especially objected to the chorizo proposal because their recipe is all about what can be found, not made.
The authentic recipe would have been made with what the farmers could forage or catch — no one hunts a chorizo. likewise if the labourers were close to the coast, the likely contents of the pan would have been wild seafood.
GOING DOWN A BOMBA
inTO the paella would also go vegetables from the farmers’ fields: importantly, tomatoes, garlic and lima beans (a flatter version of a broad bean.) From the workers’ cloth bags came the all-important, pearl-like ‘bomba’ rice — brought to medieval spain by the invading Moors. This rice cooks by absorption, taking in flavours.
SPLASH OUT ON SAFFRON
TheRe might be dark red, dried peppers known as noras; sweet and mild ground paprika; and a valuable few strands of dried toasted saffron, the world’s most expensive spice, widely grown in la Mancha in the centre of spain. it is the stigma of a crocus flower, each tiny one packing an enormous amount of aroma and the powerful yellow stain that gives the rice its character.
FISH AND FOWL?
The flexible side to cooking a paella lies in the fresh protein. Do not, however, use the pan as a magnet for every fish or fowl. The big question is: can you add chicken to seafood and still make the classic paella? This is allowed — white meat, including pork, goes well with shellfish of all sorts, but to many minds seafood alone works best.
TAKE IT SLOW
cOOking over a heat source such as barbecue charcoal has to be slow and careful. it is recommended that you use hardwood charcoal, because it will hold its heat for longer than briquettes once it has burned ‘white to grey’ — when there are no flames and the heat is moderate.
This is ideal for cooking, but always watch a paella, moving it around if there are hot spots where burning can happen. The contents of the pan should not be piled high: 3-4cm maximum, or the rice on the surface may not cook. at the end of cooking, cover the pan with foil to allow steam to cook through the surface.
THE LOWER CRUST
When perfectly cooked, the ingredients at the base of the pan will toast to a golden brown, forming a crust known as the soccarat, which, after the soft contents have been eaten, can be scraped or peeled off then eaten last.
CLASSIC SEAFOOD PAELLA RECIPE
ServeS 6-8
l 15 strands of saffron infused in hot water (preferably made the night before to obtain most flavour) l 120ml extra virgin olive oil l 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped l 300g white fish — monkfish or cod l 2 white onions, very finely diced l 2 nora (or ancho) peppers, soaked, deseeded and chopped l 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika l 6-8 skinned deseeded mediumlarge tomatoes, finely chopped l 750g ‘bomba’ or paella rice l 1–1.6 litres stock, vegetable or chicken (hot if possible) l 300g squid, in strips or rings l 8 raw shell-on prawns, plus 150g shelled raw prawns l 100g baby scallops l 300g small broad beans l Leaves from 6 sprigs of flat parsley, roughly chopped l 2 lemons, cut in half iF cOMBining chicken with seafood, brown 8 boneless chicken thighs (skin on) in the oil before frying the white fish. add back in before the rice. small cubes of pork tenderloin also work.
Prepare the barbecue with lumpwood charcoal — a deep layer that burns until white and flameless, the heat reduced but steady. This can take an hour to get right.
1. Pour oil into pan and set over heat. add 1 tsp garlic, then brown the fish. Remove and set aside.
2. add onion, nora pepper, paprika and tomato to the hot oil with the remaining garlic then cook as gently as possible for 15 minutes to make a sofrito — the sweet base of the paella. add the saffron water and bring to a simmer.
3. add rice and stir for a minute. add squid, cover with 1 litre of hot stock then boil fast for about 12 minutes. Rice should be al dente.
4. add remaining seafood and press into rice. scatter beans over, pat down and cook for 5 minutes. cover with foil, remove from heat and wait 5 minutes before serving with the lemon juice and the parsley.
THE PERFECT PAN?
iT is all about the flat-based, lightweight metal pan. even a small one, serving six, does not fit on a normal hob. The pans are designed for outdoor use, sat over a lowburning charcoal fire or a special tripod with gas burner.
l Garsima Carbon Steel Paella Pan, 60cm, serves 12, £35.99, nisbets.co.uk classic spanish-made pan for outdoor use — comes in all sizes including giant pans for parties.
Prue’s World Paella Pan, 39cm, serves 12, £24.99, lakeland.co.uk cReaTeD by the much travelled Prue leith, non-stick carbon steel with bamboo handles.
l Large Steel Paella Pan, 1m diameter, serves 85, £253.99, plus gas burner stand £131, delicioso.co.uk gianT pan by garcima, for the ultimate party paella.
l Brindisa enamel Pan with ingredients kit, serves four, £40, brindisa.com a sTylish pan and essential store-cupboard ingredients for perfect paella.
l De Buyer Carbon Steel Paella Pan, 32cm, serves six, £16, davidmellordesign.com a TRaDiTiOnal pan from a respected maker, the base is indented to prevent rice sticking.
GETTING FIRED UP
l Weber Fireplace (I used this one), £189.99, weber.com sixTy-One centimetre wide firepit with a rack and lid.
l Weber Master Touch 57cm barbecue, £295, johnlewis.com
The classic barbecue with a lid, stand and removable ash-catcher.