This is my recipe and I just wanted to add a couple things.
1. You don't really eat the whole head of garlic you just let it infuse its flavor into the broth, I don't even peel it.
2. Continally test the broth until it's perfect before adding the rice, as a trick; once it's perfect you can take a little out then add water and salt in the pan and cook till it's perfect again so you'll have perfect broth set aside to add to perfect broth in case you need a little more for the rice w/o having to water it down.
3. You can add some roasted red pepper slices on top for a nice presentation.
4. I forgot to mention the most important part, squeeze lemon juice on it before you eat it!
Hi!! My name is Maria, and I'm from Valencia, also, I'm a cook, so I love paella and know really well how to make one, I'm 25 years old and almost every Sunday of my life I ate paella. The real Paella Valenciana doesn't have green peas, but you can add, when its the season, artichoke in quarters. Someone told you to add a bit of lemon juice over it before eating the paella, and I agree it makes the flavour more intense, but the acid of the lemon combined with the carbohydrates of the rice makes your digestion difficult. Only add lemon juice if its very oily, it would help your stomach. I don't mean that you can't add green peas to your paella if you like it, but in Valencia, no one does, maybe in some villages near it. If you want to try a very tasty one use dried cod, tender garlic and cauliflower. It's really nice. Another tipe of paella is the one with meatballs and red pepper.
Às a Spaniard married with a "Valenciana" I can certify this is the authentic paella Valenciana. I love this dish but I prefer not to use the extras you mentioned in the recipe.
For the one who reviewed this recipe and said shrimps and olives where missing, I'd like to say that shrimps aren't used in the paella valenciana, only in the "seafood paella" and I've never seen olives in a paella in Spain.
My family is from Valencia and preparing the paella is a tradition to us. This paella is pretty close to the original recipe we have been using for years and years.
This is truly authentic- If you can, use fresh peas and a good quality saffron, and this excellent recipe will be over the top!
Used to live in barcelona and the ingredients and measurements ALONE, indicate this is one of the more dead on recipes available online, so I tried it. I've made this over and over and over again. BIG paella fan and this is as good as I remember in Barcelona and if you're from Southern California, rivals Cafe Sevilla's paella. I used smoked paprika and I think that's what made it too good to be true. Go to La Tienda's website to buy your smoked paprika and paella pan.
I have lived in Spain for the past 8 years and have to agree that this recipe is very authentic. I would also like to point out to a previous reviewer that in NO part of Spain do they serve paella with olives in it.
very tasty... even without a paella pan.
Pretty close. In Spain they would use Calasparra rice--or Bomba for top drawer. "White rice" per se doesn't work for me. I wouldn't attempt it without the good stuff from Murcia. And these short grains will probably affect the absorption e.g. Bomba absorbs more than Calasparra. Not easy to find and not cheap. But not impossible and what're you gonna do? No substitute once you're addicted to the real thing.
