For years now I have  tried to make a good Paella.  Something was always wrong, the rice was not cooked , or overcooked,   the saffron flavor was not there. 

Last year, I broke the code.  Well, I did not break the code, but I found it in the Spanish Table Cookbook, by Steve Winston.  Steve, owns a store called the Spanish Table, in Berkeley, California. 

Cooking via recipes is one thing.  You can pretty much emulate the flavors and can come up with a pretty good dish.  But, finding the code of the flavor melding of a particular dish is about the most exciting experience in cooking.  Thanks to Steve's technique, I now feel confidant.  Confidant in cooking something I love, yet it was never part of my cooking tradition.  

Back in the day we used to do that is by watching experienced cooks, our grandmothers, mothers, aunties, uncles, neighbors and dads.  They would tell us their tricks.  Their special ways.  The code would then be passed down.

That worked fine when we practiced mono ethnic cooking.   Now, we have travelled, we have gone to restaurants, we have wider eperiences, we have shared the food with our friends from those countries.     Our taste buds have evolved, we want to eat Spanish, Chinese, Indian and Veitnamese.  We want to make that mole like our friends mother makes--all we need is a glimpse in her kitchen.  Watching her timing, her hands and most of all the order of laying down the flavors.

Since I cannot have these kitchen forays, I read cookbooks.  I watch cooks on television.  I glean through their techniques and advice the bits that would and should work and make them my.  

I think of cooking as the art of building a flavor.  Taking ingredients and melding them into a melody with harmonic overtones. (gads...that was smarmy).  

Anyway, back to paella.  

1.  The number one thing is that you start with the biggest meat, chicken or, in this case I used rabbit.  (yes, Thumper).  That becomes your base flavor.  Ingredients are never removed.  If you see a recipe that says, cook it and take it out, do no follow it, it will cheat you of flavors.  The trick though is to have a pan that can take it all. Size, matters.

2.  You add the garlic and the onions till they are clear, remember, no high heat, you don't want to burn them, you want their juices.  Coax them.  

 3.  Then you add the Spanish sausage, the chorizo.  I have used dry kind or fresh. Remember, you are trying to get the flavor and fat from the sausage for the melding. 

 4. At this point you add the rice and the pimenton or paprika.  I use 1/2 cup of rice per person.  No picture. 

5.  Grated tomato, wow, that was just the kind of thing my mother would do and it is truly brilliant.  You get a tomatoe and you grate it.  No canned tomatoes.  You see, I used to use the canned ones and they just over powered the flavor.  I now use this for Mexican rice as well.  

6.  The stock, the wine and the saffron.  Like an idiot I used to just drop the saffron threads and then wonder what the big deal with saffrons was.  Get the wine, 5 threads per person, dissolved in 1/2 cup white wine.  Heat along with  the stock; one cup of stock per 1/2 cup of rice.   The aroma will first of all just make your nose and taste buds tickle.  

If you only do one thing from this process, do this.  

 7.  Finally, the seafood.  It does not need lots of time.  Add it last on the top.  

8.  Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.  Keep an eye on it but don't stir it, don't bother it.  

 9.  When it's done, the rice should be cooked through.  No crunchy rice bits and don't cover it.  When I had a super duper Gaggenau oven in Berkeley, I would put it in the oven since I could get a nice uniform heat.  Now, my gas oven drives me nuts, so I don't put it in.  Soon, soon I will get another convection oven.  You hear that Mr. President, I will stimulate the economy.  

 10.  When it is done, let it sit for a while, meantime you could have prepared some Sangria.  Remember you can even use white wine.  Fruits, citrus and any ripe stone fruits, berries.  Wine, some congac if you want a bit of a kick, or Cava.  Or just bubbly water. 

Or just a bottle of some great tasty Spanish wine will do just fine.  It was a hot day, so I thought, Sangria, we must sit and sip Sangria.  

Summary of Proportions

1/2 cup rice per person

1 cup broth per 1/2 cup rice

5 threads saffron per person in 1/2 cup white wine

2 pieces chicken or rabbit per person

3 chorizos

1 clove garlic per person

1/4 cup onion per person

1/8 cup tomato  per person

Garnish, lemon, parsley, red peppers......