The rice constitutes one of the great
chapters in the culinary history of this
region. You can cook it in more than 300
different manner of ways and styles:
- arroz a la marinera (fisherman's rice)
- arroz al horno (oven-baked rice)
- arroz amb fesols i naps (with beans and
turnips)
- arroz con costra (topped with a "crust" of
omelette)
Other variations allow for the rice to be
flavoured with squid (calamar) and tunny
fish, chicken and fillet of pork, baby squid
(chipirones) and garlic shoots, or tunny
fish and shrimps (gambas).
At the seaside, shellfish and salt-dried
fish are on the menus of every restaurant.
The day's choice might include gilthead
(dorada), bass baked in salt (lubina a la
sal), seafood with a squeeze of lemon, or
some delicious sea-fresh red mullet
(salmonete) and whiting (pescadilla).
In the mountain areas, rice forms an
integral part of the olleta, a typical dish
in which it is mixed with pork, sausage
meats, pumpkin, turnip, chard stalks,
chickpeas and string beans.
The inland areas offer excellent meat
dishes, e.g. pork, cutlets, rabbit cooked in
garlic and tomato, leg of lamb, and local
sausage meats.
The mouthwatering desserts of the Alicante
region feature Jijona turrón, ice-cream,
grapes, raisins, dates and almond pastries |
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Recipe: Paella Valenciana |
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a rice dish for six
persons:
600 g rice
480 g rabbit
600 g chicken
24 snails
180 g grated tomato
180 g "garrofe" (special beans for paella)
180 g "tabella" (normal white beans)
6 tbsps olive oil
a few strands of saffron
1 tbsp sweet red pepper
salt and yellow colouring for paella
200 g ferraura (green beans for paella) |
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Place the paella over the heat with olive oil and
some salt, when it is hot add the chicken and rabbit
frying them over a low heat until gold brown. Add
all the beans, fry a little longer and add the
tomato. When these has been fried, add the sweet
pepper and the water very fast (2.5 - 3 l).
At boiling point add the snails, cleaned and boiled
previously, saffron, colouring and a pinch of salt.
After boiling for 15 minutes, the rice will be
distributed evenly, after that it will be cooked for
6 minutes over fast heat and over a low heat for the
rest of the time until it is done.
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