A recipe is only the starting point of a perfect paella. Then comes the technique. And the intuition: the years of trial and error that teach the chef exactly how much liquid to add until each grain of rice has a barely noticeable crease, along with the all-important crust (known as the socarrat) forming on the bottom of the pan.
“The Spanish are so fanatical about the way the rice is finished,” says Leno Lattarullo, owner of Melbourne’s three Simply Spanish restaurants and current holder of the world title of Best Paella Outside Spain in the prestigious Concurs International Paella Competition, one of the oldest food competitions in Spain and, at 57 years this year, its oldest paella competition. “When you pick it up in a spoon the grains of rice should fall individually, almost as if it’s uncooked. Too much water and it’s going to be a mess with no crust on the bottom; too little water and the rice will be raw and it will be dry and horrible.”
It is hard to underestimate the importance of paella - especially to the region of Valencia, from where it hails - just as it’s hard to underplay the significance of Lattarullo’s achievement. Each year the attracts competitors from Spain and Costa Rica, the USA, Japan, France, New Zealand and Australia. Each region puts on its own semi-final, from which the top three competitors will go on to compete in the championship in Sueca, a town in eastern Valencia. Taking home the Premi a la Millor Paella last year (best paella outside Spain) put Simply Spanish on the map. “It really elevated our profile,” says Lattarullo. “It just gave us credibility. People are reassured that you are the real deal.”
Paella is a big subject indeed, and Melburnians will get a chance to engage with it first hand on April 23 when around 20 paella chefs from throughout the Pacific will compete in the regional semi-final at the .
Part of the market’s week-long paella festival, the competition’s judges will include Lattarullo and Edrick Corban-Banks of Tasmania’s Casa Paella, himself a former competitor who placed fourth in 2013 and 2015 before being anointed the competition’s regional ambassador.
“The is very exacting and the ingredients are non-negotiable,” says Corban-Banks of the true Valencian paella, which must include rabbit, chicken, snails, three types of beans, garlic, tomato, Spanish paprika and olive oil. “The secret is patience, and passion, and layering the flavours as you go rather than just throwing a bunch of ingredients together.” The rice, he says, is all-important. “It’s like wine. People over there will check and taste rice like wine. The chefs can tell you where the rice is from and the quality. Each has different characteristics.”
Fun fact: anything straying from the exacting Valenican brief is considered just an arroz, or rice dish. Lattarullo has time for different takes on the classic dish - “I like the Valencian version but I understand its limitations because the Australian palate is very different” - but sure knows his way around a socarrat. “You can hear it as you’re cooking. It goes from a boiling sound to a crackle. That’s when you know it’s happening. It’s very exciting.”
Shoppers who come along to the market on the Sunday will be able to watch the cook-off in action, and Spanish stallholders will be on hand selling paella, too.
The Pacific semi-final for the International Paella Competition will take place at the Queen Victoria Market onSunday 23 April from 11am – 4pm. . The Spanish Paella Festival on the 22nd and 23rd will also feature 16 additional Spanish food and other stallholders, along with a paella cook-off for aspiring chefs and home cooks on Saturday 22 April 2017.
