Spanish Rice Recipes and The Saffron Spice

Spanish Rice Recipes include Paella Recipes which most people associate with Spanish Cuisine. Using the correct Paella Rice will make your Paella and Arroz Con Pollo Recipe much more Authentic.

The saffron spice is what gives these rice dishes their yellow golden hue and is a very important spice used in Spanish cooking.

Also, using the most authentic types of paella rice will ensure a more tasty and flavorful rice dish.

An Arroz Con Pollo recipe is basically chicken and rice in Spanish. It is another very traditional rice dish eaten in Spain.

This dish is traditionally cooked in a paella pan which is a wide shallow skillet type of pan.

Paella originated in Valencia, but many variations of paella can be found throughout Spain.

Paella is typically made with a variation of these ingredients: Short Grained White Rice, Rabbit, Chicken, Seafood, Green Vegetables, Beans, Tomatoes, Meat, Land Snails, Saffron, and Olive Oil.

Paella Rice

Spain is known for growing some of the world's greatest rice for making Paella. Most of this rice is grown in Valencia.

Valencia Rice - is a short to medium grained rice and is grown in Valencia Spain. It is a very common rice used in making Paella.

This rice cooks up tender and has the ability to absorb liquids which helps it make a great Paella or Arroz Con Pollo.

Bomba Rice - one of the most prized and expensive rice of Spain. Bomba rice absorbs about 3 times its volume of cooking liquid.

Bomba is a short grained rice and expands in width instead of length. This rice costs more due to a more lengthy cultivation process.

Calasparra Rice - is of the finest quality and is a short grained rice. This rice has a longer growing cycle than most and is irrigated by cold mountain water.

These rice kernels become more dehydrated and thus more capable of absorbing liquid and flavors to make an outstanding Paella.

If you are going to cook on high heat, it would be much better to use some sort of saturated fat instead of a olive oil or any vegetable oil.

Saffron Spice

This particular flower has three stigmas which are tiny threadlike strands that are then picked off by hand - hence the expense.

Saffron imparts a rich golden yellowish color to dishes and a little goes a long way. Too much saffron will impart a bitter taste to your meal.

Saffron also has medicinal uses and is said to aid digestion. It can be a potent spice, so be careful not to ever use too much.

True saffron has a deep orange to brownish red color and the redder the better. It comes in whole saffron threads or in powdered form, and to ensure quality get whole saffron.

Whole saffron has more flavor and needs to be soaked, ground or crushed before adding to your rice dish.

Easy Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

As you can see, you can use other rice besides a paella rice to make Spanish rice recipes. I guess you have to decide on what is best for your situation and health.

I like the simplicity of this dish and you can always kick it up by using real chicken stock, fresh peas, pearl rice, and other types of vegetables.

Remember, you want to use the best quality broth or stock especially if you are using a rice that has the ability to absorb flavor as well as the liquid in your Spanish rice recipes.

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