WOOD-FIRED PAELLA
You can debate the ingredients,
but that was never the important part.
Paella is a way of cooking.
And of gathering.
What remains matters more than the recipe.
ORANGE WOOD IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT
And not just because it perfumes the rice and the atmosphere.
Wood fire is not constant or exact.
And that is precisely why you must know how to work with it —
there are no gas knobs here.
The heat spreads differently across the pan,
so the grain stays loose and never clumps together.
Loose, hydrated and firm. Never soggy.
THE RICE IS NOT A BASE
It is the result.
We use J. Sendra rice because it absorbs the broth better.
There are rice dishes where the grain is boiled in water
and later seasoned with sauces and garnishes.
This is not that.
The whole process has one single goal:
to hydrate the centre of the grain with the broth itself.
The flavour is not added afterwards.
It stays inside.
EMBERS AND SMOKE
Before kitchens existed, there was fire.
Our ancestors gathered around it to keep warm, protect themselves and come together.
They hung meat over the embers to extend its life and make it easier to digest.
Soon they discovered that slow fire transformed food.
It became more flavourful. More alive.
And smoke added depth.
At PAELLÓ, we still cook from that same origin.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOFRITO
Everything begins long before the rice goes in.
In the sofrito.
Each ingredient enters at a different moment
so everything develops an even golden base.
Slowly. Patiently.
That is how the full depth of the broth is built.
AT ITS CORE, PAELLA IS A BROTH
A broth built from the very beginning and slowly perfumed by the wood fire.
The toasted aromas of the sofrito,
the natural tomato and the deglazing process
gradually transform the water into flavour.
Everything ends up there.
That is why the paella stays thin and the rice remains dry.
Because all the flavour has already been absorbed by the grain.
TIME IS NEVER EXACT
The fire leads.
Everything depends on intensity, wood and heat response.
That is why the only true timer is experience.
A great paella cook learns this over years:
the paella tells you what fire it needs at every moment.
You simply have to listen.