What is the trick to a good paella? Persistence. Other techniques come in handy and we will revisit them here periodically. I have many Spanish friends who taught me their own tricks for the proper paella. Some work and others do not. In any case I'll roll my eyes in advance at some of our Spanish readers' pronouncement that this is not paella, but the pejorative arroz con cosas - rice with things. You mean things like saffron, garlic, onions, seafood, chorizo?
You see, a friend from Valencia - the apparent birthplace of paella - insisted that it is not paella if it is not made with Valencian rice and Valencian water. Her paella was exquisite, but then, she cooked it in San Francisco. Another friend, this one from Madrid, never measured ingredients but rather he just threw stuff in. Part of its greatness came from the fact that he cooked it, according to tradition, over coals.
