Local Orange chef Rubén López Mesa cooked this delicious Paella for a recent F.O.O.D Week photoshoot and it was AMAZING!
He says this is a traditional recipe usually cooked during the weekend for families and groups of friends celebrating occasions outdoors, over a fire. It is very rustic dish with a massive country side vibe!!
Rubén is one of our five young gun local chefs that will be presenting the best of our local produce at F.O.O.D’s 30th Anniversary Dinner during Orange F.O.O.D Week 2021 on Monday the 12th April. Tickets are on sale now for what is going to be an amazing dining experience and celebration of our region’s chefs, produce and wine. Buy Tickets.
Ingredients
200ml olive oil
1/2 chicken, broken down
1/2 Rabbit, broken down
200g Romano beans
100g butter beans
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp Spanish sweet paprika
1 pinch Spanish saffron
5 tbs fresh grated tomato
300g Bomba rice
900ml water/stock
Salt to taste
Method
1. Place the olive oil in the paella pan on high heat.
2. Once the oil starts smoking add the chicken and cook it until you get a golden-brown colour and remove it.
3. Add the rabbit and cook it until you get a golden-brown colour and remove it.
4. Reduce the heat and add the Romano beans and butter beans, cook it for 5 minutes and remove it.
5. On low heat cook the garlic for a minute.6. Add the sweet paprika. Stir constantly to avoid the paprika getting stuck to the bottom and burning.
7. Add the saffron and keep stirring for 30 seconds.
8. Add the grated tomato and cook it with the spices and garlic until it gets brown.9. Add the chicken, rabbit, Romano beans, butter beans and mix it together.
10. Add the Bomba rice and mix it together.
11. Add boiling water or stock.
12. Spread out the rice evenly.
13. Cook it for 18 minutes, 9 minutes on low heat and 9 minutes on high heat at the end to get the “socarrat” (crispy bottom).
14. You can finish it off placing a rosemary limb on top.
15. Let it rest for 5 minutes!