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SCENE 1
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| [at the dining table with a large model of a rice grain] Most Americans are familiar with long grain or indica rices, which are much longer than they are wide. Now if you were to unzip one of these and look inside, you'd see two different types of starch structures. You'd see this kind of clustered, star-shaped, multi-branched amylopectin molecule, and you'd see a lot more of the long and straight amylose starch structures, okay?. Because it has so much amylose, this rice will actually cook up light, fluffy, and, key word, separate. We like separate rice here in America. And when cooled, well it becomes very, very crunchy, because all of these molecules tend to realign, to crystallize, in fact. Which is why refrigerated, leftover Chinese takeout rice is like chewing on rocks until you reheat it. |
Amylopectin Amylose |
| Now, the rice that the Moors planted in Spain is a medium-grained japonica rice. Obviously much shorter than long grain, and a little bit more rotund. If you were to open up one of these guys, you'd see a much higher number of the amylopectin molecules. That allows this rice to remain firm even when completely cooked. And, it also promotes stickiness. As the starch seeps out around the rice, it can grab hold of other kernels, literally adhesing. So that makes some very interesting culinary possibilities, like paella, possible. |
Amylopectin |
| [back at the countertop] Thanks to the internet, American cooks can choose from a wide range of authentic European rices for their paella. Starting, of course, with Spanish rices. Now here we have the famed Arroz Bomba from Murcia: technically, a short-grained rice, but it is the boutique rice of Spain, with boutique prices to match. I typically reach for a rice labeled as Arroz de Valencia, which is not really a variety, per se, but rather a mixture of senia and bahia rices. And then here, we have my very favorite, Arroz Calasparra, which is easy to identify because it traditionally comes in a big cloth sack, like that. |
Arroz Bomba Arroz de Valencia Arroz Calasparra |
| Now if you don't go with a Spanish rice, you could use almost any Italian arborio risotto rice. But keep in mind, these can be very, very sticky to work with. So if you're going to go that way, try to reach for a vialone nano from the Veneto region. |
Arborio Vialone Nano |
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[at the stovetop] All right. Now that we have chosen the appropriate rice to cook in our paella, we need to contemplate the liquid the rice will cook in, in the paella. Three cups of rice will require nine cups of liquid, and I'm using chicken broth here. Homemade would be best, obviously, but if packaged broth is a must, just make sure it's low sodium. Now I'm going to use a kettle for this because it will be easier to dose into the paella. Just bring it to a simmer over medium high heat and we will face the hardware. |
9 Cups Chicken Broth |
[AB is speaking next to his kettle grill] As previously noted, the paella—the pan that is—is thin, carbon steel, and must be positioned over a very, very even heat source if it is to properly perform. Now that's actually a difficult thing to pull off in the modern American kitchen. But, ask any reliable Spaniard and they'll tell you that paella is a dish always prepared al fresco: over a fire, in fact, built of orange tree trimmings and grape vines. And I'm out of both of those. But lump charcoal, that I've got. That's right, kids. Paella is a grilled rice dish.
| Now I always use a charcoal chimney to light my charcoal, and of course that is a fire just with some newsprint. But, I like to spritz mine down with a little vegetable oil, essentially turning it into an oil lamp that will burn for about four times longer than the paper would by itself. So that's ready. Now the charcoal. I want exactly four pounds total. And yes, I really do weigh my charcoal. It's the only way to be sure here. Our first dose will be two pounds, and that will go directly into the chimney. Be careful, you'll get a little dusty here. There. And we'll go ahead and fire that. That should be rocking hot in 10 to 15 minutes. So I'm going to go ahead and measure out another two pounds that we will add to the fire a little bit later on. There, I'll be back. |
2 Pounds Natural Lump Charcoal |
Have a gas grill?
Crank your grill to high and keep it there.
It may take a little longer, but your patience will be rewarded.
[at the refrigerator] After the rice itself and the cooking liquid, there's a third, absolutely required component for the paella to be a paella, and that is the sofrito. Which, like the Creole trinity or the French mirepoix, is actually a mixture of aromatic vegetables. In this case, both green and red bell peppers will be chopped and cooked down in the presence of some garlic and grated tomatoes—hich, of course, you would never keep in here [fridge], would you? Good.
| [at the countertop, AB brandishes a knife, as the sounds of an orchestra warming up can be heard. Then, he furiously chops the red bell pepper, the green bell pepper and the garlic] |
1 Cup Red Bell Pepper, Chopped + ˝ Cup Green Bell Pepper, Chopped + 2 Cloves Garlic Minced |
| Now, with that out of the way, we can turn our attention to one pound of tomatoes. That's two good-sized specimens, like this. Now this maneuver may seem unorthodox, but it will achieve two specific goals. And that will be to finely chop the tomatoes and remove the skins. So cut them in half, across the equator, there, and squeeze out as much of the seed and pulp as you can into a fine strainer. Make sure you catch the juices though, because we'll be using those. There, now break out your box grater. That's right, a plain, old box grater, and on the big hole side, hold the tomato thusly [in the flat palm of the hand, cut side facing the grater], and grate. You know, the only other way to reliably remove tomato skins is to boil, shock, and peel them, and that's a pain. Besides, look at this [shows the tomato skin]. You can make a wallet out of that. So, once you've got all your tomatoes grated, go move them into the tomato juice. We'll just get rid of the seeds and the membrane, this is the good stuff. |
1 Pound Tomatoes, Seeded, Grated & Juice Removed |
Okay, sofrito software is ready and standing by. That leaves one last required component, spices. [at the cupboard] Two spices, to be exact. The first is pimenton, or paprika, in Spanish, which is the dried, ground remains of any of a wide range of European chilies from bell peppers to stronger members of the capsaicin family. Now, the Spanish have three styles of paprika, dolce or sweet, agrodolce, bittersweet, and picante, or hot. Now most artisanal Spanish paprikas have a distinct smokiness from the fires that are used to dry the chilies. And they can be marketed as smoked versions, if they're smoky enough. Now this one is smoked, sweet paprika, and it's my favorite one.
The largest paella in the
world was made with a
21m diameter pan that fed 110,000 people.
[at the bookshelf] As far as I'm concerned,
paella the dish, is just rice in a paella, without at least 20 stigmas of the
fall-flowering crocus, which the Moors called "sahafarn." That's a mash-up of
their words for "thread" and "yellow," known far and wide today as "saffron,"
which also happens to be the most expensive food on earth. On par, in fact, gram
for gram, with gold, which is why I take precautions.
So why is this stuff so
expensive?
AB: Lights! [the lights go down]
| [looking at saffron under a low-power microscope] For one thing, saffron is unique. These little stigma are essentially the bits of botanical plumbing that pollen goes down for reproductive purposes. And they contain a curious and powerful aromatic compound called "safranal," a pungent, woodsy, kind of bittersweet flavorant, called picrocrocin, and a potent pigment as well, which has been used to dye the robes of kings and high priestesses for millennia. |
Safranal: creates aroma Picrocrocin: produced |
Now consider the fact that saffron is rare, okay? The
fall-flowering crocus doesn't grow in many parts of the world, and each flower
only has three stigma. And it takes, roughly, 70,000 flowers to produce a
finished pound of this spice. Now it's no surprise that saffron has a long
history of adulteration, so it helps to know what you're looking for and at.
Now in Spanish mancha or Iranian paschal grades, the stigma will be connected
to the yellow style. That's kind of the tube that holds up the stigma there. Now
although the style is flavorless, its presence in the saffron is a sign that it
hasn't been dyed. okay? Now the styles have been picked away in Spanish and Kashmiri
coupe grades, and in Iranian sargols, which means that they will cost more, and
unfortunately, they can be faked. How do you avoid being ripped off? Well, the real stuff will
always be expensive, fragrant, and ... [now at the table]
... it will very quickly
turn water bright yellow. Behold. Now this is after only about three
minutes. You can see the water is this bright yellow, and the stigmas themselves
are still very distinct; they haven't dissolved at all. Now compare that with
this discount saffron. Okay, you can see that the water is kind of murky and
reddish. That's because there were dyes involved, and if you look close, you can
see there are actual crocus stigmas in there. But look, look at all this mushy
stuff. What is that? Well, it's probably safflower stigmas, not crocuses, okay?
That's a rip-off. So, my advice, buy small portions, say half a gram at a time,
of Spanish or Iranian saffron. Those are usually the most controlled. Buy from a
reliable internet source. They're out there. And store tightly sealed in a cool,
dark, secret place.
A special tribunal called
the Safranschau, was formed to "deal"
with shady saffron dealers in 15th century
Germany.
GUEST: Puppet Bunny Rabbit
| When it comes to integrating saffron into the paella, I break with traditional applications and simple add it directly to the raw rice. I have three cups of my Calasparra here, and into that, 20 threads of saffron, no more, no less. With that, a teaspoon of the smoked paprika, and a teaspoon of kosher salt. And while we're at it, we can add a little herbal essence, a traditional herb for paella would be rosemary, and just strip the needles, or most of them off of the two sprigs. And then we'll just stir that in by hand. |
3 Cups Calasparra Rice 20 Threads Saffron 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika 1 tsp. Kosher Salt 2 Sprigs Rosemary |
Now technically, the mandatory parts list for a paella is complete. But, since it's intended to be served as an entire meal, certain vegetal and animal additions are perfectly acceptable. For instance, in a classic Valencian paella, rabbit is required.
RABBIT: [pops up into view looking all cute and pitiful]
Oh, don't, don't fall for that. Rabbits are pernicious rodents, over-breeding varmints who would just soon take over the world as ... Didn't you see Night of the Lepus? I say, eat them before they eat us! Oh, is the little bunny-wunny scared of the big cook man?
R: [turns around, growls angrily and bears some pretty nasty teeth, runs off]
Well, paella's certainly a very versatile dish.
Let's just
see what's in the chill chest.
[at the refrigerator] Well, if we are not going to go with
rabbit and we still want to maintain any kind of credibility with our paella,
at least with the Valencians, then we're going to have to add snails, which I
think are easy to ... [looks in his snail container] You're not ready for this, are you? Fine, we'll stick with
something simple.
| Another traditional meat in many Spanish paellas is chicken, okay? We'll go with three pounds mixed chicken thighs and legs. That's perfectly acceptable. And we'll just go ahead and toss those with a couple of teaspoons of kosher salt. Also, beans are traditional, either lima or green beans. And I happen to have half a pound here, trimmed and snapped in two. Convenient, isn't it? |
3 Pounds Chicken Thighs & Legs Tossed with 2 tsp. Kosher Salt ˝ Pound Green Beans, Trimmed & Snapped in Half |
[at the stovetop] All right, our broth is good and hot. So I'm going to move five cups of that into a thermos because we're going to be adding it to the paella later on. Now the stuff in the kettle we're about to use.
| [at the grill] Ah good. Charcoal is ready. So just dump that out, nice and gray ash. That means it's hot. Use long tongs to spread out that charcoal, and then add the two pounds of reserve on top. Place on your grill grate and your paella into which goes two tablespoons of olive oil. |
2 Pounds Natural Lump Charcoal 2 Tbs. Olive Oil |
When it's nice and hot, and
shimmery, it is time to bring the chicken to the party. And I usually do
this skin side up first. Just cook until it's golden brown and delicious.
Now this doesn't look like a lot of fat. But trust me, as the
chicken skin renders out, this amount will nearly double. So five to six minutes
on this side. And when it's golden brown and delicious, flip and cook for
another five to six minutes.
Then we've got to make room for the vegetables. So
just push the meat out to the very, very edge of the paella, and dump the
peppers, garlic, and the green beans right into the middle, and let them fry in
that fat for two to three minutes, or until they just start to soften. Then make
yourself a little hole in the middle, and bring the tomatoes to the party. Stir
them in, and allow them to cook for another four to five minutes.
Okay, see how the liquid has thickened almost to a gravy
consistency? Time to bring on the rice. Just dump right in the middle, and stir
off and on for one minute. There.
Now simply evenly distribute the chicken
pieces across the surface of the rice, skin side up, and add the hot broth,
that's the four cups. Just make sure that all the rice is completely submerged,
but just barely. And set your timer for eight minutes.
True paella fans cherish
the crust or socarrat
that forms on the bottom of the pan.
Okay, eight minutes have
passed. And as you can see the paella is almost dry. Time for a second dose of
liquid. But I want to deliver it only where the rice looks a little on the dry
side. So give it a dose right here, and here, and a little over here as well.
There. Now we'll let this cook for another eight minutes, and ...
[eight minutes
later] Wow. That's some thirsty rice. All right, time to test. Looks good.
Tastes good. But, just a hair underdone. So let's give it another shot or two of
the reserved liquid and another two minutes of cooking. The rice looks just a
little hard there and there, so let's drizzle it on. There.
Okay, we're close. But I still see just little bubbles kind
of spitting up here and there. That means it's not quite dry underneath. So
let's let it go for another, say, three minutes. And don't worry about burning
the bottom. Remember, as we coast to a perfect doneness here, the heat from the
charcoal is actually dying down.
Now the rice looks nice and shiny, but
there's no liquid bubbling. So I think we're done here.
[removes the paella from
the grill, and covers with a towel] This is crucial, as the residual or leftover
heat still has some work to do, and we want the rice to cool a bit so that the
crust sets just so. And don't worry if you end up resting beyond the 15-minute
mark. An half an hour or even an hour wouldn't matter, because medium grain rice
won't harden up the way that long grain rice will. But this is definitely one of
those "your patience will be rewarded" kind of situations. I'll be back.
[15 minutes later] Ah, the rest period is up,
time to dig in. Now, the thing I like best about paella, besides the fact that
it's beautiful and delicious, is that you traditionally eat it directly out of
the paella. That's right: it's a cooking vessel and a serving platter. All you
need is a spoon. And although a boxwood paella spoon is traditional, a big old
soup spoon will do just fine as well.
Now the traditional approach is to simply assign yourself the wedge that's right
in front of you, and begin eating from the outside rim towards the center. Hmm,
delicious. In fact, it tastes like Moor. Get it, it tastes like ... Never mind.
[at the sink cleaning up] And so,
America, what may have appeared at first glance to be a flimsy, antiquated uni-tasker, turns out to be a powerful arrow in our culinary quiver and well
deserving of a permanent position on the pot rack.
As for the 52-inch monster paella. Well, it may not seem very
practical, but look at it this way. If Zeppelin ever does tour again, you'll be
ready for that special moment in Whole Lotta Love. And you'll be able to
feed all the roadies at one time. See you next time on Good Eats.
[not from the show]
Transcribed by Michael Roberts
Proofread by Michael Menninger
Last Edited on 08/29/2010
