Paella alicantina

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Paella from the province of Alicante in Comunidad Valencia.

Ingredients

• 250 ml olive oil
• 1 ñora, pre-soaked for an hour in cold water and chopped, or ground from dried state
• Large pinch of saffron, ground
• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 250 g red peppers, chopped
• 1.25 kg boneless chicken pieces, chopped
• 300 g monkfish tail, chopped
• 300 g tomatoes, peeled and crushed
• 300 g prawns
• 750 g paella rice
• 2.5 litres (approx.) water or fish stock

Method

1. Heat the oil in a paellera or a large frying pan.
2. Add the ñora, saffron, peppers and garlic and fry gently until the garlic is beginning to turn golden.
3. Add the chicken pieces and when they are half cooked, add the monkfish, tomatoes and prawns.
4. Cook for a few minutes and add the rice and water or stock.
5. Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer immediately for about 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water.
6. Whilst the rice grains should be loose, it is desirable to allow a few of them to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Variations

I couldn't obtain monkfish on the day I required it for this recipe, so I substituted it with red snapper. Like monkfish, red snapper is not bony and its skin is a pretty colour too. However, it is rarely used in traditional Spanish cuisine.

Chef's notes

If you cannot find ñoras, ancho peppers can be substituted.

Having tried this recipe, my advice would be to buy a paellera if you are making this for 4 or more people. I made it for 4 and it was very difficult to fit in all the ingredients in my largest, deepest frying pan.

If the tomatoes are quite juicy, reduce the amount of stock. --JuliaBalbilla 20:51, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

See also

• Get chicken pieces the economical way, joint the chicken yourself