On Nov 13, 4:47*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> merryb wrote:
> >> Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
> >> would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
> >> found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.
>
> >>http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx
>
> > Almost like a risotto? Do you have a favorite recipe you'd care to post? I
> > won't eat mussels, but I can pick them out if necessary...
>
> It's like a risotto in that both paella and risotto use short-grain rice and
> are cooked in open pans. It's also like risotto in that both paella and
> risotto have their ardent purists. (Anya von Bremzen's book _The Spanish
> Table_ gives a list of "rules" which these purists will put forth at length:
> "Only cook paella over an open fire fueled either by grapevines or limbs
> from orange trees" is one such "rule". Another is "Don't include chorizo in
> a paella which contains seafood." Obviously, not every paella in the world
> follows these "rules".)
>
> Paella is unlike a risotto in a couple ways: First, the rice isn't stirred
> during cooking. The result is that the rice's starch doesn't become a major
> component of the liquid in the final dish. In fact, paella doesn't have much
> liquid at all in the final dish; you're supposed to cook it until the rice
> forms a crust (the most-prized part of the dish) on the bottom of the pan..
> Second, paella has more prominent inclusions (like chicken, big chunks of
> vegetables, mussels, and so forth) than typical risottos have.
>
> The closest comparison I could make to typical food in the USA would be
> jambalaya, but jambalaya doesn't generally contain saffron, nor is it made
> with short-grain rice.
>
> In their books on Spanish cooking, both Penelope Casas and Anya von Bremzen
> take pains to emphasize that the rice is the most important part of paella.
> Both laud the native Valencian rice as the best, but list acceptable
> substitutes -- and long-grain rice is *not* an acceptable substitute,
> according to both of them.
>
> Bob

Thank you for the info, Bob. I've had lots of risotto, but sadly, no
jumbalaya or paella. I guess I will have to expand my horizons this
weekend!