September | 2015 | EconEats

I am uncertain as to whether the paella is the national dish of Spain because I have not had the pleasure of visiting. Let us just say that is a very popular dish indeed. The origins of classic dishes such as the Paella are fascinating. We can learn so much about the culture and history of a country by looking at the underlying ingredients. Two of the critical ingredients are peppers (and her derivatives such as paprika) and tomatoes and are both indigenous to the Americas. The underlying short-grain rice that appears in the dish traces its origins to Africa. The white beans also likely moved to Spain from Africa. The saffron that forms a critical element of the dish likely came from somewhere in the middle-east. I recall that chicken was originally native to Asia.

With this knowledge in mind what can we conclude: Spain was a great trading nation, and has a strong African connection. We of course know this from our study of history, although it is neat how a similar conclusion can be reached by just studying the underlying ingredients and their origins! The point of all of this is that trade and conquest make delicious cuisine and without, life would be very bland indeed!

The ingredients: I have attempted to make this as classic as possible. Apparently the classic recipe also calls for rabbit*. The garlic has been crushed with salt. The saffron has also been ground with salt as this helps release the color and flavor whilst cooking.

Brown the chicken very well. Color is flavor. Add the grated tomatoes, sliced chopped raw red peppers, boiled white lima beans and green peas.

Add Paprika (i’m using sweet smoked and plain sweet together) along with saffron, salt and garlic. Coat chicken and other ingredients.

A lot of recipes use chicken stock. Frankly I do not see the need. I find water is absolutely fine. First add the water, the ratio is 3 parts water to 1 part of rice. Bring to the boil and check seasoning. This part is critical, make sure seasoning is right before adding the rice, because this is the last opportunity. Add the rice and stir. I lined the top with pre-roasted red-peppers only because I think they add an additional element of flavor.

Boil rigorously for 8 minutes without stirring, turn to low for 10 minutes, then take off the heat and cover for 5-10 minutes. There should be a nice burnt crust forming at the bottom. Adjust times accordingly if there is too much or too little liquid.