[Sca-cooks] OOP-Rice question

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 05:41  PM, Sue Clemenger wrote:

> Howdy.
> I ran across a recipe for paella last week, and it specifies using a
> "short grain Spanish rice."  Now, short-grained rice I understand, but 
> I
> don't think I've ever seen something labeled as "Spanish rice" (outside
> the completely nasty stuff the Lunchroom Ladies used to make when I was
> in school).
> Are they just being snooty about labels? or is there a reason for this
> special rice? Anyone have an idea about a more find-able substitute?
> --maire

Although specifics have already been addressed, I'll add a centavo or 
two.

Basically, the term "short-grained Spanish rice" is used to make sure 
you use a short-grained rice that is neither glutinous nor Arborio, the 
two short-grained rices many Americans are familiar with.

It's mostly a textural issue that paella-lovers in Spain (and 
elsewhere) take seriously, but which may conceivably be nearly 
indistinguishable to some palates. I have made perfectly acceptable 
paella using long-grained Carolina rice, and even served it to 
Spaniards (who were polite, so hard to tell how effective it really 
was). You just need to be more careful with your liquid levels, 
especially since most paellas (within my experience, anyway) are boiled 
hard and uncovered, rather than simmered/steamed -- for some of their 
cooking time, anyway, so using a long-grained rice is actually more 
forgivable than might first seem likely. It doesn't turn into mush if 
you do it right.

Adamantius