Valenciana paella

It is made with rice, chicken, rabbit, green beans, large white beans called garrofó, tomato, saffron, olive oil and water or stock. Seafood is not a traditional ingredient, despite the fish-and-seafood category it may appear under.

Use a wide, shallow paella pan so the rice cooks in a thin layer. Once you add the rice, spread it evenly and leave it alone; simmer until tender, usually around 18–20 minutes, then rest it for a few minutes.

Use a short- or medium-grain Spanish rice such as bomba or sénia: it absorbs the cooking liquid while keeping its shape. Long-grain rice is less suited to the dish and will not give the same texture.

That toasted rice layer is called socarrat. Near the end of cooking, listen for a faint crackle and smell for toasted rice; give it only a short extra moment over the heat, and take the pan off before it smells burnt.

Yes. Use extra chicken if you leave out rabbit, and broad beans or butter beans in place of garrofó. It will be a variation rather than the classic combination.

Valencian paella traditionally uses chicken, rabbit and beans, while seafood paella features ingredients such as prawns, mussels or squid. Seafood paella has 9.97 g of protein per 100 g, compared with 11 g in Valencian paella.

Cool it quickly, transfer it to a shallow container and refrigerate within two hours. Eat it within a day, and reheat it only once until steaming hot throughout; rice left warm for too long can become unsafe.