History

Katie Button and Felix Meana's Cúrate opened on Biltmore Avenue in 2011 and won the 2022 James Beard Outstanding Hospitality award. Meana was raised in Valencia, where his family ran a restaurant; Cúrate's paella Valenciana follows the canonical Valencia version (chicken, rabbit, garrofó, green beans; never seafood). The daily paella lunch became the city's standout splurge value-meal in the 2010s, and the dish put Spanish cooking on the Asheville food map permanently. The kitchen runs traditional Valencia, plus seasonal seafood paellas at dinner.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 55 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g bone-in chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm pieces
  • 400g rabbit (or extra chicken), cut into 4 cm pieces
  • 150g flat green beans (rotxet)
  • 150g garrofó beans (large white limas if unavailable)
  • 1 ripe tomato, grated to pulp (or 100g passata)
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 generous pinch saffron threads
  • 300g bomba or Calasparra rice
  • 900ml hot chicken stock
  • 60ml olive oil
  • Salt, fresh rosemary, lemon wedges

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a 30 cm paella pan over medium-high. Season the chicken and rabbit; brown 6 to 8 minutes turning to colour all sides.
  2. Push the meat to the edges. Add the green beans and garrofó to the centre; cook 3 minutes.
  3. Add the grated tomato and paprika; cook 2 minutes until the sofrito darkens.
  4. Pour in the hot stock. Add the saffron threads and salt. Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes; this seasons the broth and intensifies it.
  5. Sprinkle the rice evenly across the pan. Do not stir from this point on.
  6. Cook 10 minutes on high heat to set the bottom layer, then 8 minutes on low to finish.
  7. Off heat, lay a sprig of rosemary across the top, cover loosely with a clean cloth, and rest 5 minutes. Serve from the pan with lemon wedges.

Tip from the editors. The socarrat (crisp, caramelised rice on the bottom) is the goal. Don't stir after the rice goes in; listen for the crackle at the end.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat paella valenciana (cúrate)

Paella Valenciana (Cúrate) in Asheville

Cúrate ★ 4.9

Spanish tapasChef Katie Button$95 chef's tasting per headdowntownBook 30 days ahead

Katie Button's Cúrate on Biltmore Avenue in Asheville won the 2022 James Beard Outstanding Hospitality award. The Pintxos tasting menu at the chef's counter.

Order: The chef's tasting at the counter, with sherry pairings.

Tip: Counter tasting menu at the long bar requires booking 30 days ahead on Resy. The dining room is à la carte.

13 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 Book →

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