I have rather simple obsessions and making paella is one of them. Oh, 10 or so years ago, while I was on an LDS mission in England, I had a companion who was from Spain and he wanted to show us (there were 2 others in our flat) the joy of making Paella. Well, the language barrier and lack of propper supplies made it hard for him to make it properly but he did his best and we had a very good meal. He told us it was nothing like it's supposed to be and you could see the disappointment in his face. Ever since then, I've sought to, not just create what he made but to recreate the paella which he meant to make.
Since then, I've had several failed attempts and a long period of "giving up" on it altogether. That was before I thought of even looking it up on the internet. A couple years ago I resumed my journey once again and it has become an obsession of mine to make the perfect, authentic, paella. I found the authentic recipe and method of cooking it. I even went to the effort and expense of buying an 18" paella pan to take it to that extra level of authenticity. I've gone to, what some (including my wife) may see as, wasteful measures to achieve perfection. Buying medium grained rice instead of using the long grained rice we have. Spending $14 on a seemingly insignificant amount of saffron (hey, it goes a long way).
My next step will be to hunt down a place where I can find rabbit meat around here (shouldn't be too hard I imagine) just so I can have it the way it was meant to be had. Sure, I've experimented with variations as well so I can get a feel for what makes it work (I'm still struggling with getting the rice just right [see, I'm obsessed]) but I really just want one time to achieve the perfect paella. Then I will reach a level of content and probably find a new obsession. So, if you come to visit me or stay a night or two, don't be surprised if I make a batch of paella, and send you home with some of the leftovers. I must say, it is bloody delicious!
The origional paella recipe
Paella: Rice at Its Best
La Tienda - where I got my paella pan
6 comments:
Hey, I like that Jerm! In my former country I used to may Paella, haven't tried it here. Too hard to get by the non-kosher ingredients. What is more: so many new great recipes to investigate. We have a veritable melting pot of kitchens here.
http://anneisaman.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes
Nice to see another paella lover. My previous obsession was to find the perfect recipe for pasta sauce. I got the tomato sauce down pretty good as well as a good alfredo sauce. I'll have to try out some of your recipes Anne.
Oh yeah, my wife reminded me that she gave me the paella pan for my birthday. Hey, I still begged and pleaded with her to do it :P.
Well Jeremy we'll be up in the middle of December to try your paella, however, I would like to request the nonrabbit version! Well thats me, Kim, speaking. Justin says he's willing to eat the rabbit (hmm... on the side?) I just don't feel right about eating small furry animals, I'm much better with large furry animals.
...or with small feathery ones apparently :P. I think you'll be safe, I'm not going to try the rabbit until I get the rice perfected... but you never know... ignorance is bliss right?
I realize this is really random - I did a google search for paella and cartoon and your drawing came up! I'm looking for a paella cartoon drawing that I can use on a Rehearsal Dinner invitation (getting married in Spain). Any interest? It would be cool to have cartoon versions of my fiance and me. Anyway, let me know if this is something you might want to do: isabelriojascott@gmail.com
Thanks!
Isabel
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