Spain is definitely my favourite holiday destination. One day we hope to retire there!! Its hard for me to say why I love the country so much... It may have all begun from a school project that I did on Barcelona. They were hosting the Olympics that year and it was exciting to see the country on TV. I just remember thinking, one day I will visit that place and true to my word I have been there multiple times.
I have to mention a couple of memorable trips to Spain. The first was on my honeymoon, we stayed right on La Rambla in the ‘heart’ of it all. The trip involved a visit to the islands, Menorca and Mallorca. We had the best Paella in Menorca, made with love from the elderly woman in the hotel next door from where were were staying in the southern beachside town of Santo Tomas.
Another memorable trip was a sneaky visit for the weekend, we only had two days before heading to Paris for my girlfriend Yasmine's 30th birthday. It was her first trip so we tried to do a lot, staying right in the heart of Barcelona in a cute boutique hotel right off Place Catalunya called Hotel Pulitzer (http://www.hotelpulitzer.es/en/). We even had one of those little balconies - I absolutely love them. My biggest luxury must have when visiting any European city. We booked dinner at the famous Michelin star Hotel Omm and Restaurant, Moo, where we had the most amazing meal and desserts (http://www.hotelomm.com/en/roca-barcelona-en/roca-moo/). Finally, we even managed a visit to the famous La Sagrada Familia.
So yes, I am obsessed! I own more Spanish cook books than any other and have attended numerous cooking classes but two memorable ones in Melbourne. One was at Queen Victoria Market (where Walter Trupp used to present classes before opening his own school in Prahran, http://truppcookingschool.com/) and one at The Essential Ingredient, Prahran (with Matt McConnell, best known for his Little Collins st restaurant Bar Lourinha, try their long table dinners... http://www.barlourinha.com.au/).
Spanish food is easy to cook and I love Tapa. For me its being able to eat a little bit of everything. Paella is a rice dish for those of you who haven't eaten it before. The rice itself is not as starchy as long rice and so it is not washed, so you can use it straight from the bag - it is known as ‘Paella rice’ or ‘Bomba’ rice. In Melbourne it is available at any major market or good cooking store like The Essential Ingredient. These places with also sell Spanish saffron and really good Spanish Chorizo (mild or spicy). Another must visit Melbourne institution to visit is Casa Iberica, found on Johnston St Melbourne it is a Spanish & South American supermarket. Here you will find all the ingredients that a little harder to find, paella pans and Spanish cheeses.
For my 30th birthday I received my second Paella pan (serves 6-8) from my good friends. It is the perfect size for a dinner party. The recipe I have written has been perfected but adapted from Movida Cocina, written by Chef and Restaurant owner Frank Camorra (http://www.movida.com.au/).
Ingredients:
500g chicken thighs, diced into chunks
200g cleaned calamari, cut into 3cm squares
1 chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
6 prawns, devein them keeping the head and tail in tact
6 mussels, steams in water for 5 minutes until they open
100ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 onions brown onions, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Good pinch of saffron threads
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1 red capsicum, seeds removed and cut into 1cm dice
1 green capsicum, seeds removed and cut into 1cm dice
3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and grated (or chopped)
1L chicken stock, heated on stove
900ml hot water from the tap
80ml fino (dry) sherry, manzanilla is what I use
8 handfuls of bomba rice, usually a handful per person
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Methods
Prepare all the ingredients as described in the list above.
Make sure you have seasoned your paella pan. There are plenty of Youtube videos on how to do this.
Place the 60cm diameter (45cm at base) paella pan over high heat and add 75ml of the olive oil. Add the calamari and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring continuously, for 1.5 - 2 minutes or until firm and caramelised. Remove from the pan, cover and set aside
Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring continuously for 3 - 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Push the chicken to one side, cook the chorizo on both sides and set to one side with the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining oil, the onion, garlic, saffron and bay leaves, season with a little salt and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes or until the onion is golden
Add the capsicum and cook for 10 minutes until soft and a jammy consistency. Mix the chicken in with the onion and capsicum
Drain any liquid off the tomato and add to the pan. Add the sherry, increase the heat to medium-high, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 - 20 minutes, scraping the pan to deglaze as the sofrito cooks (sofrito = capsicum, tomato, onion mix - this can be premade and stored in the fridge for a week before using in this dish, this base can be used for anything and is amazing with claypot eggs for breakfast). At this stage the liquid should have reduced and the paella should look like thick, chunky jam. Cook the prawns on both sides until golden being careful to keep the heads intact. Remove from pan and set aside
Add the chicken stock and hot water (1.9 litres), stir and continue cooking until it comes to a simmer. Return the calamari to the pan and cook for 5 minutes
Sprinkle in the rice and stir evenly through. Do not stir again. Add in the prawns and the cooked mussels, arranging them neatly
Continue cooking for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover with 2 clean tea towels
Set aside for 15 minutes to steam
Divide among plates and serve with the lemon wedges
Invite me over if you try this!
