When researching Valencia, pictures of paella appeared everywhere I clicked. I wasn’t exactly sure what the dish was, but I knew I wanted to try it. I was super excited to be able to share a traditional Spanish dish with locals, but I was a little skeptical about eating rabbit. When I took my first bite of rabbit, it was a lot chewier than I expected. In a way it tasted like chicken, but the flavor was a lot bolder. I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not something I’d eat every day.
The rest of the dish was delicious. Because the rice is cooked in fresh broth, it absorbed ever bit of flavor from the spices and herbs. It was the best cooked rice I’ve ever had! When all the vegetables and meat are gone, there is a thin, caramelized layer of rice at the side and bottom of the pan, called “socarrat.” I recently learned that the socarrat is reserved for the most important person at dinner to eat because it has the strongest flavor .
A neat thing about the cooking class I’m in is that I get hands-on experience in cooking each specialty dish made. Making paella was the highlight of my week! To make paella, it is necessary to have a “paella pan.” A paella pan is simply a giant, round pan with handles on either side. If you look at the pictures, you can clearly see what I mean by giant... ENORMOUS! Each pan serves between 20-30 servings. However, my first time eating paella, I ate out of a pan made to serve 100 people. Crazy!!
The plan is placed on an open fire and olive oil is added.
