Dear Readers,

Today we end the tour of Spanish cuisine by touching on one of the most famous cuisines in the world: Valencian cuisine. This is one of my favorite places to visit as well as eat in Spain.

Before I tell you the most common Valencian dish (of which I’m sure you’re already aware) I’m first going to pose a question: do you think this internationally-recognized dish originated with seafood or meat? Well, if you answered seafood, then you are incorrect!

Although many towns claim to be the birthplace of PAELLA, it is usually considered native to the county of Ribera, just south of Valencia. It can be found in two main varieties: with chicken and rabbit, or with seafood. Contrary to popular belief, the original Paella was made with only chicken and rabbit. Nowadays, however, paella can be found all throughout the world, cooked in many different variations.

Rice, the fundamental ingredient of Paella, was introduced to Spain (specifically grown in Valencia) by the Moors over a millennium ago. There are three types of rice that are protected by a Dominacion de Origen (which we’ve touched on before- remember the Ternasco lamb from Aragon protected by a D.O.?) – Bahia, Bomba and Senia. If you want the best kind of rice, then definitely go after one of these three types.

Rice can be found in just about any type of Valencian dish, not just paella. A few examples are: arros negre, which is rice with squid and squid ink (seen in other parts of Spain as well), arros al forn, a rice dish baked in the oven usually consisting of sausages and potatoes, arros amb crosta, a kind of arròs al forn but covered with an egg which provides the “crust” in the name (typical of southern Valencia, especially Eliche, a beautiful coastal city located in Alicante), and arros a banda, a simple preparation of rice, fish and sweet potato.

The other common product considered to be a staple of Valencia are Valencia oranges, which originated in Valencia but are now grown throughout the world- in fact, Valencia oranges are the most widely planted orange variety! (As I write this blog, I’m actually enjoying one;-)

Now I’d like to give you some basic history on Valencia. Valencia, one of Spain’s seventeen Comunidades Autónomas, or “autonomous communities,” is located in eastern Spain along the Mediterranean Sea. To the north lies Cataluna, to the northwest the region of Aragon, to the west the region of Castilla-La Mancha, and to the south the region of Murcia. The Comunidad Valenciana is made up of three provinces – Castellón, Alicante and Valencia. Valencians have their own language, Valenciá, similar to Catalán, spoken in neighboring Cataluña.

What kind of Spanish blog would this be if we didn’t put a world class, in-depth recipe on how to make Valencia paella? I’m a strong believer in following the true ingredients of origin, so spend some time looking for the ingredients listed below if you want to make truly authentic Valencian paella. I’m listing this recipe below because I felt it was the best as an education piece and for its authenticity. Follow the directions, and you’ll make an incredible paella!

I’d love to hear about your experience cooking this paella, and a picture would be incredible. Anyone who sends in a picture of their paella experience will receive an awesome Spanish Vines t-shirt made by American Apparel! I hope to see some great pics! Until next Monday, have a great week.

Entender es Disfrutar!

~Josh

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Recipe found in an article entitled “Paella Where It Grows” by Janet Mendel

Paella How-To (Serves 4)

The pan. Paella pans of rolled steel, come in sizes from 10 inches up to three feet. The depth varies from 1 1/2 to 2 inches. A 10-inch pan serves 2-3; a 12-inch pan is about right to serve 4-5; a 16-inch pan serves 6-8.
 A paella pan larger than 12 inches is difficult to manage on top of the stove, as it has to be rotated over two burners.

The rice. Valencia paella is made with medium-short grain Valencia rice. Allow 1/2 cup of rice per person. For paella, the amount of liquid is double the rice, so 2 cups rice requires 4 cups liquid. Have on hand about one-half cup additional liquid to add in case the liquid cooks off too rapidly. 
Do not wash the rice.
Add the rice to the paella pan once the liquid has come to a boil.
Stir in the rice, bring the liquid to a full boil–then never stir the paella again. Stirring releases the grain’s starch and makes gummy rice. Some cooks like to shake the pan, to prevent the rice sticking on the bottom, while others, appreciating the crunchiness, let the bottom get a little crusty.

The cooking liquid. Simple, country paellas are made with only water–and very tasty they are. A simple chicken broth enhances the finished flavor of the rice.

Color it yellow. Paella is always a sunny, golden color. The true coloring (and flavoring) agent is saffron. Crush a few threads of real saffron in a mortar. If you don’t have a mortar, use the butt of a knife to crush the saffron in a teacup. Stir 1/4 cup water into the saffron. Then supplement the golden color with a pinch of powdered yellow coloring or five to six drops of yellow food coloring. Do not, however, substitute that other yellow spice, turmeric, because it’s too strongly flavored for paella. If neither saffron nor yellow coloring is available, the best substitute is a big spoonful of pimentón (Spanish paprika), which adds both color and flavor.

What meat, seafood? Paella is a rice dish, so don’t overload it with meats. If calculating 1/2 cup rice per person, allow 6-8 ounces per person of combined chicken and meat.
Cut chicken and rabbit into small pieces, so that it cooks fully in the time it takes to cook the rice. If using large serving pieces, use additional liquid and, after sautéing, let the pieces of chicken cook 10 minutes in the liquid before adding the rice.

The sofrito. The sofrito is the mixture of sautéed ingredients–meat, peppers, beans, tomatoes. Olive oil is the essential starting point of a good sofrito. Use a medium fire, so the chicken browns very slowly. It should be nearly cooked by the time the liquid and rice are added.
Fresh green beans, fava beans, peas and artichokes can be cooked with the sofrito. They add a special taste. Favas and artichokes may be par-boiled, then added to the rice towards the end of the cooking time.

Timing. Allow 20-30 minutes for the sofrito. Then add the liquid and bring it to a full boil. Put in the rice. Cook it on a hot fire for the first five minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. The rice should cook in 20 minutes from the time it was put into the pan. It will be tender, but slightly chewy. Let the paella rest 5-10 minutes, so that it finishes cooking from residual heat.

Paella, Valencia Style – Ingredients:

-1 cup fresh or frozen giant lima beans or dried butter beans, soaked overnight

-2 cups wide flat green beans, cut in 2-inch pieces

-2 chicken thighs (10 ounces)

-4 pieces of rabbit (10 ounces)

-1 boneless duck breast (10 ounces), cut in 4 pieces (or use chicken breast)

-1/4 cup olive oil

-2 cloves garlic

-Finely chopped
1 tomato, grated (1/2 cup pulp)

-4 drops yellow food coloring

-1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed

-1/2 teaspoon pimentón (Spanish paprika)

-4 1/2 cups chicken broth or water

-1 dozen cooked snails (optional)

-Sprig of fresh rosemary

-2 cups Spanish medium-short grain rice

-Lemon wedges

If using dried butter beans, soaked overnight, cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Set the beans aside.

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, refresh in cold water and set aside.

Cut the chicken thighs in half along the bone, making four pieces. Lightly salt the pieces of chicken, rabbit and duck. 
Place a 12-inch paella pan on the fire and heat the oil.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt into the oil, then add the chicken, rabbit and duck and let them brown slowly.

Next add the limas or par-boiled butter beans and the blanched green beans. Continue sautéing these ingredients.
 Add the garlic and, when it begins to turn golden, the tomato pulp.

In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of water, the yellow food coloring, crushed saffron and pimentón. Stir until spices are dissolved. Dribble this mixture into the pan.

Add 4 cups of broth or water and turn the heat to high. Add the snails and sprig of rosemary. When the liquid is boiling, add the rice, stirring to distribute it evenly. Continue to cook on a high heat for 6 minutes. Remove the rosemary.

Turn down the heat to medium. Cook 14 minutes more without stirring. Add additional liquid if necessary. The liquid should be almost absorbed, the rice al dente. Allow the paella to set for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with lemon wedges.

Dear Readers,

This past weekend brought me to one of my favorite cities in the world, Charleston, SC. I repeatedly acclaimed all weekend that the Charleston Wine and Food festival will be one of the top in the country within 3 years; to me, it has reached the level of the Aspen Wine and Food Festival.

Some of the top chefs in the country are already in attendance (as a matter of fact, I was sipping bourbon with Daniel of Restaurant Daniel out of NYC on Saturday night-what an experience), and I guarantee we’ll see more top chefs in years to come. More on this wine and food festival at a later date.

Now to two great news pieces Spanish Vines has just received: this past weekend we landed two features on two of our wines: Cinco Joses and Spanish Vines Crianza Tempranillo. Cinco Joses was featured in a top NYC wine blog and can be seen by clicking the following link http://www.examiner.com/x-3233-NY-Wine-Examiner~y2010m3d6-Wine-of-the-Week-Cinco-Joses-Spain–999?cid=examiner-email.

Then, the Spanish Vines Crianza was featured at Terra restaurant in Charlotte, NC as their monthly find. Great values, as we are seeing, are truly triumphing these days! Lastly, we launched our new and improved Spanish Vines website this past week. If you haven’t already, please head over to spanishvines.com to check it out!

Enough on company news and to the real reason we’re here tonight: Basque Country cuisine!

Food is a central part of Basque life. Bilbao and the region have earned their status as a culinary destination point. The area is home to some innovative up-scale restaurants pushing the creative limits of international fine dining, but they all rest upon and incorporate a foundation of superior local products, historic recipes, and Basque traditions.

One of my favorite restaurants in the region is located right next to the Guggenheim Museum and is located within the Gran Hotel Domine. In fact, on our recent trip to Spain with Divya Gugnani’s Behind the Burner, we recorded an incredible episode with this restaurant’s chef, highlighting our Enate Rosado (found at the following link: http://www.viddler.com/explore/BehindtheBurner/videos/115/).

Basque cuisine is influenced by the abundance of produce from the sea on one side and the fertile Ebro valley on the other. The mountainous nature of the Basque Country has led to a difference between coastal cuisine dominated by fish and seafood and inland cuisine with fresh and cured meats, many vegetables, and freshwater fish.

More specifically for seafood dishes, squid in its own ink sauce is very popular. The ink is toxic when fresh but becomes harmless when cooked (quite a sight when you meet this dish for the first time). Shrimp, langostino, and crab are common additions to fish soups. Basques enjoy tuna, salmon, trout, cod, spider crab and eels. A savory dish, bacalao, features dried salted cod (as seen in the behind the burner video).

As far as meats are concerned, favorites include beef (preferably of young animals), sheep, lamb, pork, and fowl (chicken, quail, partridge, woodcock). A common Basque sausage, chorizo, is made from meat and pork fat, seasoned with paprika, salt, and garlic. It is then stuffed into casings and dried. An example of a common vegetable includes peppers, widely grown throughout the region. Used green, ripe, and dried, they are a key ingredient in the well-known Basque egg dish Piperrada. Garlic is another favorite, prized in cooking not only for its taste, but also for its ability to trap oils in meats and gravies, thus enhancing the flavor.

And a recipe for breakfast straight from the Basque Region!

Basque Shepherd’s Pie

Serves: 4

4 slices bacon

1 ½ finely sliced onions

3/4 tablespoon of salt

A dash of pepper

3 medium sized potatoes

1 tablespoon of snipped parsley

1/8 tablespoon of dried thyme, crushed

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons of milk

In 8-inch skillet cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside.  In same skillet combine reserved drippings, peeled, thinly sliced potatoes, onions, parsley, salt, thyme and pepper. Cover tightly; cook over low heat until potatoes are barely tender, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring carefully once or twice. In small bowl beat together eggs and milk; pour over potato mixture. Cover and continue cooking over very low heat until egg is set in center, 8 to 10 minutes. With a wide spatula, loosen sides and bottom and slide potatoes out onto serving plate, or serve from skillet. Sprinkle crumbled bacon atop. Serve hot.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed our tour of Basque cuisine and a perfect breakfast / brunch recipe for Saturday afternoon. See you next Monday!

Entender es Disfrutar,

~Josh