Paella = The simple art of coals + olive oil + garlic + chicken legs + peppers & tomatoes + sausage & seafood + rice + saffron from spain's mediterranean coast. . . .
This was the place to be a few days ago . . . right in the middle of the little Catalan town of Sant Sadurni on October 7, 2016 for their annual paella festival. Look at those relaxed & wise faces just waiting for the paella to arrive! (Photo by the Ajuntament Sant Sadurni)
A real beauty of a paella from the Sensational Paella Catering company in Boston . . .
Old school paella recipe . . . (from Teresa Avellonas).
An appropriately autumn-like paella (photo by Asinka Photography).
Famous chef Jaime Oliver is really pissing off the entire country of Spain. Why? He tweeted out a recipe for his paella which includes chicken thighs and chorizo. Spaniards and hispanophiles are livid. The sin, of course, is adding "chorizo" to the paella because chorizo is not an ingredient in the authentic, old school, paella valenciana. Jaime has committed the cardinal sin. Responses were as follows:
Spanish journalist Vicent Marco replied "Come to Valencia to try real paella and stop making "rice with whatever." Your dish is everything but paella."
Others called Oliver's paella an "abomination" and "an insult."
So, where do I sit in this debate? Well, I'll say this . . . I do not believe that chorizo belongs in "Paella Valenciana" but I do believe that a good creative "mountain" paella can include chorizo, so long as it's not a Mexican (i.e. spicy) chorizo. Hopefully my opinion doesn't add to the international crisis sparked by Jaime Oliver. I'm sure it will.
Spanish journalist Vicent Marco replied "Come to Valencia to try real paella and stop making "rice with whatever." Your dish is everything but paella."
Others called Oliver's paella an "abomination" and "an insult."
So, where do I sit in this debate? Well, I'll say this . . . I do not believe that chorizo belongs in "Paella Valenciana" but I do believe that a good creative "mountain" paella can include chorizo, so long as it's not a Mexican (i.e. spicy) chorizo. Hopefully my opinion doesn't add to the international crisis sparked by Jaime Oliver. I'm sure it will.
See that nice film on top of the paella? That's the desired affect of not stirring the paella while it cooks. Nicely done. (Photo by Quinn Comendant).
In the fall of 1997, I remember walking to church on a Sunday morning in Tarragona. As we passed through the city's main square, I saw Castells for the first time. Castells are the human towers, and the people who do Castells are called Castellers. It goes without saying that we were very late to church that day. This is an old Catalan tradition where the goal is to make the tower as high as possible without it falling over. Amazingly, the top of the towers are reserved for the lightest of climbers, usually kids about 5 or 6 years old. The Atlantic did a nice piece on Castells recently. I'd recommend it. (Photos by Albert Gea & Emilio Morenatti).
(Photo by Abandholm) . . .
"What kind of rice should I use in my paella?" Here's the answer: Preferably short grain rice. In a bind, you can use medium grain rice. Don't ever use long grain rice. The reason is that a short grain rice will absorb the paella liquid really well without drying out and getting burned in the pan. This is a BIG deal in sophisticated paella circles . . . (photo by Matt Goff)
The sun is fading . . . even in Ibizia, so enjoy it while it lasts (photo by Michela Simoncini at El Viejo Gallo in Ibiza).
Typical street snack somewhere in Spain . . . (photo by Keith Williamson).
A beautiful paella . . . but whoever is holding that spoon is committing the cardinal sin. Once the stock/broth and rice have been added, DON'T STIR THE PAELLA (photo by Paul Sableman).
Looks as if there's good paella in Pamplona too . . . (photo by Adam Jones).
Lest you were wondering how much olive oil to start your paella with . . . (photo by Garry Knight).
Sometimes you've gotta cook four big paellas . . .
If you're looking for some good paella music (and you should be), then check out Las Migas. This quartet from Barcelona play some really good 21st flamenco guitar melodies. This one, "Calma," is from their new album. Check them out on Spotify and give them a listen while your stoking the fire and chopping vegetables in the backyard for that evening paella . . .
Two things to note with this paella:
1) The first step to a good paella is olive oil, garlic, salt, and MEAT. When you fry the chicken (or lamb, or sausage, or other meat), the meat flavor infuses itself into the oil, which will later flavor the rice. So let that meat simmer for a good while in the olive oil. It's a good foundation for the paella.
2) Look at the little vineyard clippings used to make this fire. It's perfect. Traditional Spaniards always make paella on a fire with fruit tree or vine clippings. I've used grape vine clippings, plum tree branches, and apricot branches. Where possible, stay away from huge logs because they can put out too much heat.
1) The first step to a good paella is olive oil, garlic, salt, and MEAT. When you fry the chicken (or lamb, or sausage, or other meat), the meat flavor infuses itself into the oil, which will later flavor the rice. So let that meat simmer for a good while in the olive oil. It's a good foundation for the paella.
2) Look at the little vineyard clippings used to make this fire. It's perfect. Traditional Spaniards always make paella on a fire with fruit tree or vine clippings. I've used grape vine clippings, plum tree branches, and apricot branches. Where possible, stay away from huge logs because they can put out too much heat.
It's autumn time all across Spain . . . and this photo (by Henrique Ferreira) taken from the western hillside of Barcelona vividly reminds me of my autumns in that amazing city. I lived on Calle Providencia just down the hill from Gaudi's Parc Guell. And as the autumn air turned cold in the evenings, we'd stroll through the dusk and buy roasted chestnuts from street corner vendors as the sun fell into the Mediterranean Sea. Ahhhh. Autumn in Barcelona!
Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication . . . especially with paellas like this one in Benidorm Spain (photo by John O'Nolan). Many "paella purists" argue that paella is being bastardized by people who add far too many ingredients that simply don't belong. A good Paella Valenciana is typically very simple . . .
This isn't necessarily related to paella, but I get this question a lot: When in Spain, should I travel by train or rental car? Well, I have really fond memories of both. The train allows you to sit back and breathe easy while you travel the landscape. But a rental car allows you to stop at tiny little villages. So my answer is . . . do one trip by train, and then go back again and rent a car. Simple as that. (Photo by Juanedc)
This photo is a great illustration of why you never stir the paella once the ingredients + rice + stock + saffron are in . . . see that beautiful seal on the rice? That's what you want. As they'd say in Spanish, this is a beautiful "paella . . . sin reventar."
From Colman Andrew's classic "Catalan Cuisine" . . .
If you're ever near Valencia, you might want to stop in the little town of Torrent because from what I can see online, there is a lot of paella happening there . . . (photo by Premsa Ajuntament de Torrent)
When I moved to Spain in 1997, it was the month of September, and I specifically remember biblical autumn rain. The people would hunker down inside cafes or their apartments for days until the storm would blow over. This photo of Madrid (photo by Felipe Gabaldon) does my memory justice. I love autumn in Spain.
Lest you think that an amazing set-up is needed to make a good paella . . . looks like these dudes are in an empty swimming pool somewhere in Spain (photo by Vilapicina).
I don't recommend paella in a frying pan, but it can work . . . (photo by Remy Sharp).
Bunol Spain . . . La Tomatina Festival . . . where thousands of Spaniards gather at the end of summer and throw tomatoes at each other and bathe the town in RED. I've never seen it myself, but I've received firsthand accounts that it's wild.
Some paellas are more colorful than others . . .
Another beautiful Spanish melody to which you should make paella . . . Isaac Albeniz (born near Girona) is perhaps my favorite Spanish composer of all time. And listen to Ana Vidovic do him some serious justice.
A paella at La Pepica in Valencia . . . arguably the most famous paella restaurant in all of Spain, La Pepica has been around for over a century and was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway to decompress after his bullfighting soirees in Pamplona (photo by Kent Wang).
Some might accuse me of heresy, but if there is one ingredient I love in paella, it's sausage. Use any Mediterranean sausage (chorizo, lamb, pork, etc.), but steer clear of Mexican chorizo (or other spicy sausages). Spaniards don't do spicy! (photo by Alberto Pellegrini at the Boqueria in Barcelona).
I've always wondered how paella tasted decades ago in Spain . . . this photo shows the main square of Lleida in 1910. And we know that Spaniards were eating paella back then (and even before). I'd pay good money to try a 1910 paella in Lleida.
This photograph speaks for itself . . . welcome to Spain! (photo by Premsa Ajuntament de Torrent).
These are the streets of Tarragona Spain located on the Mediterranean Sea about 100 km south of Barcelona. The first paella I ever had was in 1997 on a Sunday afternoon in the outskirts of this beautiful city with the Consernau family. After church, we rode in their van to the hills west of the city where they lived in a small white washed home under the trees. The paella was soooo good that it triggered in me the beginning of a 20 year fascination with paella generally . . . (photo by Jorge Franganillo).
Sometimes you need a huge paella . . .
See that faint light brown crust on that rice? That's the way to do it . . . (photo by Rafal Prochniak).
This photo (from RovingAye!) very aptly shows that there is paella at the Southbank Market at Christmas time in London . . .
Another classic from our friends at WikiPaella . . .
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