It is a Valencian tradition to share the “paella moment” with our loved ones and even more so at this time of the year. The Christmas season is approaching, with family gatherings, and it’s the perfect time to cook a Valencian paella. Christmas for many years has been a special time to share with our families and friends, when we get together again, and eating has become an essential part of our daily lives.

Depending on family traditions we cook one type of food or another, but a paella… We can never be without a paella. It is one of the most representative dishes of our gastronomy inside and outside our borders. Doubts always arise as to the correct preparation of this dish and the fact is that it can be prepared in a thousand ways, but the ingredients cannot vary.

Are you ready to prepare a paella at Christmas time?

The authentic Valencian paella recipe to enjoy this holiday season

Our main character here is the rice – do you know what kind of rice is best for your paella? Currently we have a wide range of rice from all over the world, because when cooking an authentic Valencian paella, not everything works. It is very important to know the characteristics of each type of rice to understand why we use the one we use. Undoubtedly, each rice is special and indispensable for different dishes worldwide.

But the round rice is the most successful option since it maintains that special flavor of the paella broth. Strictly related to Mediterranean cuisine, round rice is the one that has always been used to make a traditional Valencian paella. Now that we know the rice we are going to use, these are the three tips that you should not forget when preparing a paella:

· The essential ingredients: Rice, chicken, green beans and butter beans.

· The stir-fry: First you brown the chicken (and rabbit, if it is Valencian) with oil in the frying pan or paella pan and once it’s well sealed, you add the vegetables.

· Measures of water: It will seem trivial, but the quantity of water that you add is very important. You add more water than rice because with the cooking, the water is going to be reduced and it is going to produce a flavorful base.

If you want more information you can check our blog.

Ideas for rice accompaniments

Let’s get original! If we do not feel like making a paella we can always resort to canapés with rice, as they are light, easy to prepare and we use our star product. In addition,

we can get creative and decorate them with a Christmas motif for these days and, even if we do not feel like it, we can always resort to prepared rice to create these dishes like those of Gastraval, and here you can see all our range of rice dishes.

Here are some ideas:

· Crispy rice and seared tuna canapés.

· Canapés with zucchini, wild rice and cheese.

· Three delights rice, bacon and tomato canapés.

· Canapés with rice and prawns.

· Canapés with rice and tempura vegetables.

Now you have no excuse for not cooking delicious, original and easy rice dishes.

Gastraval wishes you happy holidays

From the Gastraval team we want to wish a happy holiday season to all our customers, suppliers and colleagues who have accompanied us this year and especially to you, loyal reader. It has been a year of great changes, but also of great achievements, and we hope that this year you may enjoy being with your family and loved ones. We will continue doing what we love – cooking, so that everyone can taste the flavors of Valencia.

Happy holidays and all the best for the New Year!