I think there are hundreds of versions of Paella and for sure every family will have its own way of making it. My son's girlfriend went to eat at a friends house, where the father made the Paella and he even had a special jacket he wore when he made it! The combination of rabbit and artichoke is said to be one of the original ways of eating this dish of Spain and for me my personal favourite.
Paella can be made in advanced and covered with foil and a heavy tea towel and be kept warm in this way for quite a while. There are not any fancy ingredients in Paella, it is peasant food and would normally be cooked by the grandmother for the rest of the family. The important ingredient in this version is to have a good quality Spanish smoked paprika.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 rabbit
2-3 artichokes (depending on size)
3 garlic cloves
3 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
chicken stock
600g of paella rice (bomba)
Olive oil
salt and pepper
How to go about it
Prepare artichokes, chop in half and peel off outer leaves. Peel stalk and cut in quarters, carefully take out the hairy choke and discard. If you don't want them to discolour put them in some water with the juice of half a lemon or a sprig of parsley.
Chop the rabbit in small pieces and include the liver, heart and kidneys.
In a paella pan or large shallow pan put in 2 tablespoons of oil and add whole, unpeeled garlic cloves and rabbit and sauté for 10 minutes on gentle heat. Turn pieces, then add artichokes and continue to sauté for 5 minutes more. Add a bit more oil and put in rice and paprika, season with salt and fry until the rice is starts to colour and it is coated in paprika. Add enough stock to so the liquid comes about 2 cm over the rice. Cook on a medium heat.
The rule is with paella is that you can stir for the first few minutes and then don't touch. It forms a film on top of the liquid that acts as a lid and helps to cook the rice evenly. When all the liquid is absorbed, turn it off and cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
