World Paella Day

World Paella Day is a recognition of the most universal plate of Spanish gastronomy. A day in which the Valencians share their great dish with the rest of the world to celebrate, beyond recipes and ingredients, the internationality of the paella. A meal of humble Valencian origin that has transcended all borders.

With eight million yearly searches on the internet, this makes it the fourth most important dish on the planet.

Sofrito

Sofrito is a traditional Spanish tomato sauce, very similar to an Italian passata and used in a variety of Spanish dishes. It is the building block of many Spanish, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Italian, and Latin American dishes, and it is much loved for good reason.

Sofrito is a key ingredient when cooking paella. It provides one of the foundations of the dish, as it rounds the flavour of the stock and provides sweetness and depth to the rice.

For this recipe use 2 grated tomatoes and 1 red grated pepper. Do not grate the skin, only the flesh.

Ingredients :

• 225g Sliced Spanish Chorizo


• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)


• 1 onion (finely chopped)


• 1 cup long rice/Valencia rice


• 2 cups of water


• 3 chicken breasts


• 1 tbsp paella seasoning


• 2 chicken stock cubes


• 150g green peas


• 100g mangetout (chopped in half)


• 1 bunch of chopped coriander


• 2 tomatoes


• 1 red pepper


• Salt and pepper

Serves : 6

Cooks In : 2 hours and 30 min

Difficulty : Medium

Preparation Method :

1. Heat the pan for a couple of minutes and add the sliced chorizo until it releases its oils.
2. Flip it over until cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. At this point, the oil will be impregnated with the paprika of the chorizo and will have a reddish colour.
4. Add the grated onions and fry for a few minutes and add the chopped garlic cloves for a few minutes more.
5. Add the sofrito and cook for around 15 minutes, adding the paella spices and cubes of chicken broth in between.
6. At this point add the rice and let it cook for a few minutes, adding the chopped chicken until it is impregnated with the sofrito.
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Add 2 cups of water and when is still watery add the green beans.
9. Before the rice dries, add the mangetout, green peas, chorizo and chopped coriander.

Tips :

For the Sofrito, use only grated tomato and red pepper flesh, do not use the skin. Always use fresh ingredients to prepare the sofrito and avoid tinned tomatoes. If you follow a halal diet, the Spanish chorizo can be replaced with Turkish Sucuk, as it is highly seasoned and does not contain pork. Paella can be an ideal vegetarian meal, as it can be prepared with a large variety of vegetables and without any meat.