Paella Valenciana

Ingredients

• 400 g Bomba rice, short-grain, unwashed
• 1 Rabbit, jointed into 8 pieces
• 1 Chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 200 g Ferraura (flat green beans), trimmed and halved
• 200 g Garrofó (large white butter beans), fresh or soaked dried
• 2 Ripe tomatoes, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1 pinch Saffron threads, genuine threads, not powder
• 1.2 litres Chicken or mixed meat stock, deep, well-seasoned, hot
• 60 ml Olive oil
• To serve
• Alioli, tableside

Method

1. 1
   Set the paella pan over an open wood fire of orange or pine branches — or the widest available burner — and heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the rabbit and chicken pieces in a single layer and fry, turning, until golden on all sides. The meat should release from the pan surface cleanly and carry a deep, even colour.
2. 2
   Push the meat to the rim. Add the ferraura to the centre and fry until softened. Add the garrofó and turn briefly in the oil. Both should colour lightly without burning.
3. 3
   Add the grated tomato to the centre of the pan. Fry, stirring constantly, until all moisture has cooked off and the tomato darkens to a concentrated, brick-red paste — this is the sofrito. Only when the pan is dry and the paste fragrant should the paprika be added. Stir the paprika into the sofrito for no more than thirty seconds, until absorbed. This step determines the dish's entire aromatic foundation: underdone sofrito produces a raw, thin base that no amount of stock will correct.
4. 4
   Pour in the hot stock immediately. Add the saffron threads and stir once to distribute. Bring to a vigorous boil across the full surface of the pan. Taste: the stock should be seasoned to near-service level, as the rice will absorb it without further opportunity to adjust.
5. 5
   Scatter the bomba rice in an even layer across the pan — never more than a single grain deep, never above 3 cm in total depth. Do not stir again from this point forward. Maintain a steady boil for the first ten minutes, allowing the stock to absorb visibly from the edges inward.
6. 6
   Reduce the heat to its minimum for the final minutes of cooking. Listen: a faint, steady crackling from beneath the rice signals that the socarrat is forming — the caramelised crust that defines the dish. Silence is acceptable; a sharp, acrid smell means the crust has crossed into scorching and the dish is lost.
7. 7
   Remove the pan from the heat. Rest the paella uncovered for precisely 5 minutes. Do not cover with foil: trapped steam will dissolve the socarrat. After resting, press a spoon gently to the base — resistance and a dry, firm crust confirm the socarrat has set.