Traditional Paella Valenciana uses rabbit, chicken and snails. The snails can be optional, whereas the other meats are a must for it to be traditional. As you can see from the top photo, I lobbed in chorizo in case the rest was inedible. Not traditional, but on my first attempt I lost the run of myself by the end.
Rabbit isn’t that hard to source. You can order it online from James Whelan butchers, although it’s a tad pricey. I pre-ordered mine from F.X Buckley’s who defrosted one for me, and charged €8.99. Wanting to stick to the traditional recipe, I intended to make stock from the rabbit carcass. I’d looked up how to joint a rabbit on YouTube. Slightly obsessed with jointing stuff now.
On the day, I was way too hungover to start hacking at a skinned Bugs, so the butcher did the necessary. It was all done in about ten seconds. Very impressive work, and quite likely saved me from wrecking a knife or two at home.
There isn’t a huge amount of meat on a 1 lb rabbit, so most of what you see below went into the pot to make the stock.
The stock is just the rabbit carcass brought to the boil, a chopped onion, two small carrots, a celery rib and some parsley added and then left to simmer for an hour on a medium-low heat.
I researched the most traditional of traditional recipes and picked Spanish brains for tips in order to do it right. Despite all my research, I ended up working off a badly written method found online.
Stuff was burnt, stock yield was poor, and I wandered from the traditional Valencian ingredients in order to try and make it palateable. It was what the Spanish would call El Grando Pain In The Culo. I spent the first 45 mins knowing it was not working and was pretty much….
But, as there were mouths to be fed and I’m a stubborn wagon who can’t see food go to waste (even if it might end up as total muck) I saw it through.
I’ve since made it a few times and it is essentially a very easy dish to prep and cook. Here’s what works for me.
Serves 6, using a 38cm/ 15 in pan
Ingredients
420g white beans (I used butter beans)
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 whole onion, diced
6 chicken drumsticks
1lb rabbit, skinned and jointed
18 snails, cleaned and prepped (optional)
8 artichoke halves
4 handfuls green beans
A pinch of saffron
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
I used roughly 1.5 lt of chicken stock from cubes and two fingers depth of the rabbit stock that was left. It’s best to keep an eye on it and top up with a little extra stock or water as it cooks, depending on your pan.
Good pinch of saffron
400g paella rice, although arborio works just fine.
Not traditional but I chuck it in-
Half a red bell pepper, diced small. You could throw the whole lot in or use the remainder for decorative strips on the top.
Two chicken stock cubes, dissolved
Chorizo, cuz it’s purdy and tasty
If you want to make rabbit stock, give yourself about 2-3 hours prior to wanting to start your paella. It would be better to do it the day ahead. Also, if you follow the instructions for stock above, use a massive pot and a ton of water to ensure the liquid doesn’t disappear.
Stock. Where you going. Stock. Staaaahp.
Method
Pan fry the rabbit and chicken with enough olive oil to stop it sticking, turning the meat as needed for about 15 minutes.
Make up your stock and stir in the saffron.
Remove the meat temporarily after the 15 mins, and add in the onion, garlic, tomato.
I added half a small diced red pepper as I half wanted to make Sofrito, not traditional as far as I’m aware but a tip from a fabulous Spanish friend.
So, either make the sofrito and add it in once the meat has had it’s cooking time, or remove the meat and gently sauté the onion, garlic and tomato in some more olive oil. When the onions are softened/ slightly translucent, return the meat to the pan, with the snails if you’re using them, and add the beans (drained, if from a tin).
If the pan is looking a bit dry, top up with a bit of olive oil before adding the rice.
Add your rice and mix all the pan contents quickly. Add the stock/saffron mix. I initially poured in just under a litre of stock mix, and then topped it up during the hour with another half a litre or so as it needed. It’ll depend on your pan, mine is quite shallow (and judgy, what a bitch) so keep an eye on it.
Add the artichoke quarters around the top of the mix.
Top with about four handfuls of green beans. I used frozen, straight from the packet and it worked just dandy.
Of course, I topped it with chorizo, just to give the traditional ship that had long sailed the saffron stained finger.
Give it an hour once you have everything in the pan.
It tastes like paella should, or from my travels it’s up there with the paellas I’ve experienced.
Rabbit meat or stock is not necessary for a tasty paella but it adds that extra oomph and if you manage to have any stock left over for another dish, it’s a bonus.
popandglug.com 