Because paella pans are large round pans, they are not suitable for cooking on top of a standard burner. So, we recommend cooking paella on a round charcoal barbecue or gas paella burner.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Soak Dried Beans: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 9 oz. white flageolet beans*
- 9 oz white beans
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Large eggplant, cut into large cubes
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 artichokes or 1-16 oz can artichokes
- 4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- medium grain or “pearl” rice
Preparation:
Note: If artichokes are not in season or you cannot buy them fresh, use a 16 oz can of artichokes, drained.
*Flageolet beans are immature kidney beans and can be difficult to find in the USA. You may substitute canned for the fresh beans, in which case you do not need to soak them. If you cannot find them in stores, use any similar white bean.
You'll need a 17-inch paella pan, a sauce pan, a sharp knife and a wooden spoon or paddle with a long handle.
Soak the white beans overnight and drain the liquid before cooking.
Before you can start cooking, you will need to gather all equipment and start preparing all the ingredients.
Chop the garlic finely. Chop the tomatoes in half, then cut each half into four pieces. Cut the eggplant into cubes 3/4 inch to 1 inch in size. Dice the bell pepper. Set all vegetables aside.
If you are using fresh artichokes, trim tops of leaves and cut off bottom stem. Cut artichokes in quarters, length-wise. If you are using canned artichokes, open and drain the artichokes. Set all vegetables aside.
If you are preparing the ingredients ahead of time, you can do everything up until this point and refrigerate the ingredients until you are ready to cook them.
Now that you have cleaned and chopped the ingredients, it's time to light the BBQ. When the coals on the BBQ are covered in white ash, cooking can begin. Assemble all the ingredients on a table near the BBQ, so that you can stay in the area and monitor the cooking.
Place the pan on the grate and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and allow the pan to heat. When hot, sauté the garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the olive oil. Add olive oil as needed to prevent sticking. Add the eggplant. Cook, stirring often – about 10 minutes.
Add the beans and stir.
Add the rice in the form of a cross. Stir for 2-3 minutes to thoroughly coat the rice with oil and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Add saffron to the sauce pan of broth and stir. Slowly pour broth into pan until contents are covered. Spread ingredients evenly over pan. Allow to simmer, cooking rice and beans. Add more broth if necessary.
When rice is cooked, remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil, allowing paella to “rest” for 5 to 10 minutes before serving paella.
Making Better Paellas
Other Paellas to Try
- Paella de Marisco - Seafood Paella Recipe
- Paella Valenciana - Valencian Paella Recipe
- Paella - Introduction to Spanish Paella
