Carmel House
Paella , with the Church we have run into. We know that we shouldn't mess around with the good people of the Valencian Community too much, but... we've come to play.
There isn't such a ball-busting, irascible and spiteful fansumer in the gastronomic planet As the paella aficionado . Let them ask Jamie Oliver ("It tastes better with chorizo"), ask Rob Schneider or that army of Valencian militants with the sign of "That's not paella, that's rice with things" pasted on the forehead. I summarize how things are: you don't play with paella.
However, the world is for the brave and this column is called Tablecloth & Knife for some damn reason; so here goes my statement ( suicide , that is) of intentions: the paella is firewood or it is not . Yes, I already know that the most academic definition accepts as 'paella' both the orange wood (it's his thing) like a electric heat source . But let's be clear: the maximum expression of that gastronomic experience called Paella™ It happens when it is prepared over firewood. There are so many things... the crackling of the flames , the unmistakable smell of thyme and rosemary, the heat and color (red, brown and coppery), the smoke that fills the atmosphere Y the sacred ritual of fire . The fire ritual of paella: so visceral, so telluric and so ours; the fire of the bonfires of San Juan, of Las Fallas and of each tradition of each town. The fire of purification, of ecstasy and of what will come after the ashes (like Phoenix), how not to love this ancestral dish?
The paella, I insist, it has to be firewood . In the same way that grilled fish must be wild and the cuisine should (always) be seasonal; the rest is silicone, microwave and 'greenhouse heat'.
So here we go, these are the best wood-fired paellas from Valencia (city and outskirts, we have to start somewhere) . we have chosen five essentials and we have done it hand in hand with the person who has the most respected and singing voice on the paella planet: the non-profit association Wikipaella also responsible (thanks to La Fallera) for getting the paella emoji be in all our mobiles and Whatsapp groups. At Wikipaella they know what they are talking about (and as proof, the unconditional support of so many paella masters and voices like José Andrés, Ricard Camarena or the Generalitat Valenciana ) so I will let them put black on white these temples of rice, firewood and fire.
Rosemary, the perfect touch to the smoked
**PAELLA ON THE BEACH: CASA CARMELA **
_(Isabel de Villena Street, 155) _
Since 1922, a benchmark in Valencia for its wood-fired paellas and privileged location on the Malvarrosa beach next to the house of the writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. At their tables you will not find red diners like crabs, with rubber flip flops ready to eat anything like paella. The clientele of Casa Carmela, mostly local public , it is extremely demanding , as is Toni Novo from the selection of the raw material that he uses to make his rice dishes to the sublimation of fire, using orange tree firewood. It is possibly the most respectful restaurant with paella in the capital of Turia.
Always fire at Casa Carmela
PAELLA IN THE CITY (IN CAMPANAR) : THE PAELLA RACÓ
_(Mosén Rausell Street, 17) _
Oscar and William Two young entrepreneurs have put the Campanar neighborhood to shame with their gastronomic proposal. The Raco of Paella is a reference today for lovers of classic paella in Valencia, cooked in an artisanal way, over firewood. Few places in the capital are committed to this way of preparing paella. El Racó also has a lot of charm, it is a traditional Valencian house with its ceramic and decorative details, converted into a restaurant. The paellero is in the patio. Its starters are spectacular: the cod fritter, esgarraet, carob hummus , in addition to all kinds of rice.
The Raco
PAELLA IN THE GARDEN (IN ALBORAYA): THE FAMOUS
_(Church Street, 14) _
Since the 16th century there is evidence of a farmhouse near the Hermitage of Vera , called the Famós . It is considered the oldest hotel establishment in the Valencian Community. The last seven generations of the Navarro family, who have run first as a grocery store, then as a tavern and now as a restaurant, prepare the Valencian paella with the products offered by the Valencian vegetable garden each season. In winter with artichokes and broad beans, or the “fetge de bou paella” forceful and singular, in summer with the typical legumes: Garrofó, roget, tavella, bajoqueta.
the famous
**PAELLA IN THE MOUNTAIN (IN SERRA): EL CHAPARRAL **
_(Ctra. Barraix, Km 2) _
In the heart of the natural park of the Serra Calderona, from the fantastic views offered by El Garbí of the Gulf of Valencia At 590 meters above sea level, there is ** El Chaparral ,** a family restaurant where, in addition to wood-fired paella, you can breathe mountains and nature on all four sides. The Chaparral paellas are a delight, because elements such as spring water, orange tree firewood, and the natural and fresh products that Lorena and Quique acquire from the farmers of Serra, Náquera, Massamagrell and Museros are involved in the process. Basic note: Valencian paella must be ordered on request.
**PAELLA IN SALER: L'ESTABLIMENT**
_(Camino Estell, s/n, El Palmar) _
Founded in 1982 It is considered the most prestigious restaurant in El Palmar . Located to the south, on the outskirts of the town along the canal "Queen Race" . Isabel and her daughters are in charge of the kitchen, although they have always had the help of the great cooks of Palmar, such as Aunt Esperanza, Lolita and Mª Amparo . There is no book that collects their exploits but they are authentic heroines of the native Valencian cuisine, who have spent their entire lives making paellas as their elders taught them. Expert hands for spectacular rice dishes. One of the most idyllic and recommended places to enjoy paella and its surroundings.