Paella with Chicken

I wish you could have seen the almond trees in Spain that spring. Javi, a friend of a friend, had invited us for Sunday lunch in the countryside with his parents. At about half past one we followed his motorcycle across the city limits and along the highway to a pueblito (small town) a few dozen miles outside of Valencia. No one spoke over the flapping wind or loud music, though I can't remember now what we were listening to. Some of the girls slept the whole way there while cool air passed through the backseat and nursed our hangovers.

I hardly felt the top of the glass digging into my arm as I rested my head and elbow halfway out the window. The olive orchards on the side of the road looked so green and so dry from far away. I was anxious to know where we were going, but every time the sun peeked out from behind the clouds I forgot that I barely knew some of my fellow travelers.

When we arrived it smelled of farm and earth. Hardly a town, only a few homes were built on the shared hundred or so acres. Javi's parents welcomed us each with dos besos (two kisses) and scooted us outside onto the patio so they could start making the paella. We watched as his father fed the wood-burning oven and sizzled the sofrito (vegetables and paprika base).

He lectured us about proper technique: meat first then vegetables - always. As smoke rose from the paella he sent us on a walk until the meal was ready. I can only assume he wanted to keep the recipe a family secret.

 

At about three o'clock we returned to the kitchen and sat down to a table set for eleven. There were baskets of bread and plates of jamón. There were potatoes and salads somewhere in between. Bowls of olives spilled over onto the table cloth. On the counter pink boxes of cream-filled pastries waited patiently. There were glasses for water and glasses for homemade wine. And in the middle there was a golden paella dotted with crisp pieces of chicken and rabbit and dulled snail shells. The smell from the fire filled the entire house. The clinking of glasses echoed from one end of the table to the other. Finally, a half second of silence fell over all of us as we eyed what we would taste first.
 

Lunch lasted over three hours. After we helped clean up, everyone piled back into the cars (a little tighter than when we arrived) and waved goodbye. The gravel rumbled beneath us and we drove past the fields of almond trees. Dear friend, I wish you could have seen them that evening. Then you would understand when I say how perfectly they stood in military lines, their bodies rooted in soil. How the flowers danced between the branches and kissed the air as they spun to the ground like dizzy girls in ballerina pink.

Paella with Chicken

Yields 6 to 8 servings

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed 

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 pounds chicken legs or thighs, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 small tomatoes, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika

1 1/2 to 2 cups large lima beans or butter beans (about one 15 oz. can)

7 cups chicken broth

2 1/2 cups short-grain rice (preferably Valencia or Bomba)

2 sprigs rosemary, whole

Special equipment (optional): 16 to 18-inch paella pan, available in specialty kitchen stores or online.

Note: Paella is named after the pan it is cooked in but could be made in any regular wide, shallow pan. Paella is also traditionally cooked over a wood fire, but I make this recipe on a charcoal grill or gas stove top. If you are able to cook over a wood fire, please do!

Pour 1/4 cup hot water over crushed saffron threads. Set aside and let steep for 20 minutes.

If cooking over charcoal grill or wood fire, prepare grill for direct heat cooking with medium-hot charcoal. When charcoal is ready, place paella pan on top of grill rack and heat oil until almost smoking. If cooking over gas stove top, heat pan and oil on medium-high heat until oil is almost smoking.

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Add to middle of pan and cook chicken in a single layer, turning often until all sides are golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Move pieces to outer rim of pan.

Add tomatoes, garlic, and paprika to middle of pan and saute until fragrant. Add beans and cook until garlic is soft. Add reserved saffron and chicken broth, stirring to evenly distribute chicken and beans in pan. Season with salt and bring to a boil.

Sprinkle rice over pan, evenly distributing grains around chicken pieces. Gently stir to cover rice in broth. Place rosemary sprigs in middle of pan. If cooking over charcoal, cover paella with grill lid and cook until rice absorbs all liquid and is tender, rotating pan a half turn every 10 minutes. If using gas stove top, cook uncovered and rotate pan a quarter turn every 5 minutes until rice absorbs all liquid and is tender.

If all liquid has evaporated and rice is still not tender, add 1 to 2 tablespoons extra broth or water where needed and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

When rice is ready, remove pan from heat and let rest 5 minutes before serving.