Image courtesy of Bethany L. KingDish of the Week: Paella
A few years ago at a Smithsonian Associates talk, Jose Andres spoke about how one of his first cooking responsibilities as a kid was to watch the paella cooking in the backyard. In some ways, paella is an extremely basic dish that has its variations in many cultures – a combination of stock, rice, and whatever proteins and vegetables that happen to be in season. It’s the small touches, like local seafood or spices like saffron, that make the big difference.
And then with paella there’s just one more thing. The dish was originally cooked over a wood-burning fire, but with modernization it transitioned its way to the stove. But the stove version lacks the smoke of the orange trees that used to fuel the fires. So Andres hopes to have everyone returning to the backyard grills for paella. He explains in his cookbook, Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen, that the key to great paella is the quality of the rice. He notes two Spanish short grain varieties, Bomba and Calasparra, as ones that do the best job of absorbing liquid without getting mushy. And much like the Korean dulsot bibimbap (a stone bowl mixed rice dish), a good paella has what is called a socarrat, a crust that forms at the bottom of the pan from the browned rice and starch that comes from a lack of stirring. For home cooks, you can look to this recipe for lobster and chicken and paella.
For those of you less industrious in the kitchen, this weekend kicks off the Seventh Annual Paella Festival hosted by Jaleo. The festivities kick off at the Dupont FreshFarms market, Sunday at 11 a.m. with a massive vegetable paella. Jaleo will also play host to Chef Quim Marqués of Suquet de l’Almirall in Barcelona with a kickoff party at the Jaleo in Crystal City on Monday starting at 6 p.m. that includes samples of paella and other dishes. Reservations are required for the Crystal City event, and can be made by callling 703-413-8181 or emailing crystalcity@jaleo.com. If you can’t make it to Jaleo during the event, another good option for paella is Taberna del Alabardero.
