Monthly Archive for July, 2010

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Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera)

Published by Gastronomer on July 20, 2010 in Pasta + Rice, Recipe, Seafood, Spanish and Valencia. 15 Comments

Not too long after arriving home from Spain, I tried my hand at making Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera). Taste memory is a very powerful asset in the kitchen and I wanted to take full advantage of it while the flavors of Valencia were still fresh in my mind. I also wanted to use the saffron and rice that I picked up at the Mercado Central while they were at their absolute best.

I turned to Saveur magazine, an authority on authentic recipes, to guide me through the homemade paella process. According to the recipe developers, there are six principles to achieving really fabulous paella. The ones I found most important were steeping the saffron at the very beginning and sautéing the seafood in hot oil to build a strong flavor base. “The key is to build flavors from the bottom of the pan up,” the editors emphasized. Paella pans are designed for this purpose, though a wide skillet of the same size will work, too.

The seafood used in this recipe was provided by I Love Blue Sea, a web-based sustainable seafood company in San Francisco. The Gulf shrimp were caught using turtle-free nets, the squid came from the Northern California coast, and the clams were a combination of Littleneck and Manila. The original recipe called for monkfish, but I decided to eliminate it from the recipe after learning that it is overfished and caught using bottom trawling, which decimates the ocean floor. Try as I might to keep abreast on the dos and don’ts of sustainable seafood, I can’t always remember everything I read. I was thankful to have a trusty consultant in I Love Blue Sea to point me in the most eco-friendly direction.

My homemade Fisherman’s Paella turned out as pretty and tasty as I had hoped. The rice was cooked perfectly al dente, while the seafood was sublime. Best of all, I was able to achieve the subtle flavors that made the paella in Valencia so special. I have just enough rice and saffron to prepare the recipe two more times. I will have to space out the occasions carefully to fill the interval until my next visit to Spain.

25 threads saffron, crushed (a heaping 1⁄4 tsp.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. extra-large head-on shrimp in the shell
1 lb. cuttlefish or small squid, cleaned and cut into 1″ pieces
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
4 medium tomatoes, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small onion, minced
7 cups chicken broth
2 1⁄2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia or bomba
2 lbs. small clams, cleaned

Put saffron and 1⁄4 cup hot water in a small bowl; let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a 16″–18″ paella pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, lightly salt, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside.

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Restaurante L’estimat – Valencia

Published by Gastronomer on July 14, 2010 in Restaurant Review, Spanish and Valencia. 10 Comments

Paella is arguably Spain’s most famous dish. Prior to traveling to the Iberian peninsula, I was only familiar with the classic version that’s flavored with saffron and flourished with shellfish (paella a la marinera). Early on in our trip, my notion as to what paella entailed was turned on its head. While at Taverna El Glop in Barcelona, The Astronomer and I shared one made with rabbit and snails (paella Valenciana). I also read in our travel guide about an intriguingly black version made with squid ink. Upon arriving to Valencia, paella’s original stomping grounds, The Astronomer and I were eager to further familiarize ourselves with this one pan wonder.

We had read great things about Restaurante L’estimat and ended up eating there twice during our short stay. Located on the Paseo Maritimo, the restaurant is a few steps away from the beach and offers a postcard-worthy view.

I wouldn’t normally bore one with a historical account of paella, but this romantic painting, which hangs toward the back of the restaurant, has inspired me to do so. Or better yet, I’ll let Saveur do the talking:

The dish exists because of rice, and rice has existed in Valencia and its environs ever since the Moors planted it there more than 1,300 years ago, in a lagoon called the Albufera, where the grain is still grown today. Saffron, that precious and earthy spice, brought to Spain by Arab traders in the tenth century, was the Moors’ preferred seasoning for rice, and it remains a traditional paella ingredient. Local game like rabbit, and foraged foods like snails, as well as various legumes and vegetables, found their way into rice dishes during the Moorish occupation of Spain, but pork (which was prohibited under Muslim dietary laws) and shellfish did not. The dish was prepared in the countryside over an open fire of dried vines and orange-tree branches, usually on Sundays, usually by the men of the family while the women were at church.

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L'Orxateria del Mercat Central – Valencia

Published by Gastronomer on July 12, 2010 in Los Angeles, Restaurant Review, Spanish and Valencia. 12 Comments

I learned all about carnecerias (meat markets), dulcerias (candy stores), and panaderias (bakery) in high school Spanish class, but my teacher never mentioned anything about orxaterias (horchata bars). As a die hard horchata lover, I was thrilled when we encountered a store specializing in the milky beverage just outside the Mercado Central de Valencia.

After spending the afternoon searching for the perfect paella pan and seeking out good deals on saffron, The Astronomer and I were eager to kick back and relax over chilled glasses of the city’s most famous beverages—orange juice and orxata. [By the way, "orxata" is the Catalan spelling of the word.] We pulled up two stools and ordered a glass of each.

Squeezed to order, the orange juice tasted perfectly balanced without any added sugars. It’s no wonder that these locally grown, thin-skinned, and nearly seedless oranges are so popular for making juice. It was so very refreshing!

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Mercado Central – Valencia

Published by Gastronomer on July 11, 2010 in Markets, Spanish and Valencia. 15 Comments

During much of our visit to Spain, the weather was unseasonably gray, cold, and rainy. Thus the moment I stepped off the train in Valencia and was greeted by golden rays, my heart filled with joy, like only a southern California gal’s could. Thankfully, the weather remained nice and mild for our entire stay, keeping me perfectly warm and sun soaked.

The Astronomer and I visited the Mercado Central (central market) on our first full day in Valencia. Built in the early twentieth century, the market was bathed in an abundance of natural light and decorated with colorful ceramics and mosaics at every turn. The domed ceiling, with its sky-high windows, was especially gorgeous.

Nearly all of the vendors were hawking some sort of raw ingredient, like meat, cheeses, spices, or produce. A small number sold traditional groceries and household items. Unlike the Boqueria in Barcelona, not a single stall sold prepared foods. The entire space was impeccably clean, meat and seafood stalls included.

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My First Cheesecake: It Smells Like Burning

Published by Gastronomer on July 8, 2010 in Dessert and Potpourri. 28 Comments

I attempted to make my very first cheesecake today and this is what came out of the oven. At first it looked like some sort of souffle, but as it cooled down, it resembled caramelized flan. Sadly, I wasn’t trying to bake either of those desserts.