Once upon a trip, my brother and I packed our things to hit the European road. We ditched our jeans (maybe not Rob) and cars for the whimsy allure of a European wonderland. Rob, who has never not had plan a day in his life, threw his hands in the air and let me take the wheel. Luckily, I had been mapping this continent since middle school. I had journals full of hand written dotted lines connecting cities and prices of train tickets vs bus tickets scribbled in the margins.
My way of thinking was different back then. Thinking about that 15 country trip has me laughing now, maybe it’s the 30 something year old in me talking, but can a girl sit on a veranda and sip a coffee? No… past me was climbing to the top of every mountain with little to no climbing experience. I break out into fits of laughter, even as I type this, remembering how I assured Rob I could hike to the top of Trolltunga in Norway… 1.7km in and I was practically on my death bed. More on that later. Spoiler alert: We made it, and only almost died about 4 times.
Spanish Dreams
Spain was my almost love story. Oh, if you could see the pages marked with red lines as I drew up my plans. I still dream of this iconic trip of Portugal to Spain and then down to Morocco. Something about that southern Spain ferry taking me on a quick 2 hour journey to North Africa has me spinning in a brand new dress. I consider the joy of setting my watch to Spanish time… aka siestas at 2pm and coffee on the veranda. I don’t want to live in a world where I don’t aspire for tapas after the sun goes down and a glass of bubbly. Spain and I have a firm agreement, that good things come to those who wait. So for now, I spin in my kitchen with the smell of saffron drowning out my thoughts over a pan of paella.
Cooking with Saffron
If you have never cooked with saffron, then today is the day. It has this sultry ability to make you feel like a million dollars. It contains actual magical powers, I am sure of this. Maybe it’s the fact that this flower spice cost $17 for a bottle the size of my nail polish. Oh, but how your pan of paella suddenly becomes a work of art with just a pinch of this wonder. You know I love a good aesthetic, and saffron is the *chefs kiss* belle of the ball. Saffron transforms your simple grains…
- Provides a vibrant yellow color
- Enriches the aroma and flavor of your dish
- Makes you feel like your cooking with gold
Here’s the thing, if you can’t use saffron for this dish because you can’t find it or simply because it’s too expensive, then that’s okay. You really do need to achieve a yellow dish for paella though, so your next go to spice is going to be ground turmeric. Less magical and whimsical- does not contain actual magic powers, but will get the job done.
Traditional Paella
Paella originated in the costal city of Valencia, where there are mussels and shrimp o’ plenty. I prefer to keep my sea creatures where they belong though, under the sea hanging out with Sebastian and Ariel. A traditional paella is full of fresh seafood, chicken, white wine, saffron, fresh veggie, a good Spanish olive oil, rice, and broth. It is typically served in a giant paella dish so the whole group can dive into this one pot meal.
Paella Rice
In the words of Dwight Schrute, “Keep it simple, stupid.” Don’t spend all day researching the perfect Spanish rice for paella. Go to the store and look for the rice that says PAELLA on it. Western grocery stores understand that we need the extra help picking out a perfect paella rice, so they have gave us a cute little pat on the top of the head and made it much easier. This is going to be a short grained rice. If you don’t see a rice labeled paella, then you are searching for arroz redonda (round rice) or bomba rice.
Seafood Substitutes
You know I love subbing seafood, because there are so many good plant ingredients out there that provide the same texture. For this dish I use king oyster mushroom and heart of palm. King oyster mushroom has a plethora of uses, but for this dish I recommend treating them like a scallop and you will not be disappointed. There are so many choices and creative opportunities here. Lets not fall into the trap of mundane existence…
- Banana Blossom
- Artichoke Hearts
- Seaweed Paper (for the flavor)
- King Oyster Mushrooms
- Oyster Mushrooms
- Heart of Palm
