A lthough the eminently agreeable task of preparing more than sixty different paellas in my home kitchen fell to me alone, the search for the secrets of rice cookery in Spain and my quest for the finest paellas led me, as always, to Spanish friends, both new and old, to many fine restaurants in Spain that I have come to love and admire over the years, and to others I discovered while investigating paella.
Through their creativity, boundless energy, and enthusiasm, my friends Reme and Ximo Boix of Tasca del Puerto restaurant introduced me over the years to wonderful rice dishes from their native Castelln de la Plana. And I am not likely to ever forget the paella bash that Ximo and his teenage son Nacho (a budding chef) cooked up over an open fire for five hundred bikers in an isolated mountain setting not far from the Mediterranean coast.
Pepe Piera of El Pegol in Denia, despite his sometimes forbidding demeanor, has always been the soul of generosity, heaping kilo upon kilo of rare Valencian bomba rice on me to enrich my paellas in New York. His wife and his daughter, Mariluz, took me into their pint-size kitchen and divulged the secrets of their magnificent Arroz a Banda, a dish that has been a passion of mine for over twenty years.
Gonzalo Crdoba, restaurateur por excelencia, never fails to prepare a lunch based on paella every time my husband and I visit his restaurant ElFaro in Cdiz, our favorite Spanish city Although Cdiz is far from paellas homeland, at El Faro the rice is always outstanding, and Gonzalo never hesitates to share his recipes with me.
Juanjo at Casa Roberto in Valencia is a more recent acquaintance but equally forthcoming. He invited me into his kitchen to observe every step involved in his prize-winning lobster paella and shared some tricks of the trade with me. At La Pepica, also in Valencia, paella reigns supreme, and Doa Juanita, the grande dame of paella, still holds court at ninety years of age. She greets us at the door, regales us with stories of the good old days, and bestows upon us her considerable knowledge and experience.
Thanks also to all the fine restaurants in the Levante that keep local culinary traditions alive, and especially to those that make our visits to the region so memorable: Rac dOlla in El Palmar; La Drsena in Alicante; Casa del Mar in Lo Pagn, Murcia; Galbis in LAlcudia; and Casa Salvador in Cullera. All the chefs at these restaurants are truly paella maestros.
I thank my daughter, Elisa, who planted the idea in my mind for a paella cookbook and persuaded me to follow through; her husband, Steve, whose business savvy was invaluable in helping me navigate my way through the ins and outs of international publishing, and my parents, Toni and Chick, who were always at hand to offer advice and support. Marsha Stanton, the finest friend anyone could hope for, although hardly a cook herself, contributed her near clairvoyant sense of what tastes good and which seemingly unlikely ingredients would marry exceptionally well. She became my sounding board for new paella recipes, and by bouncing ideas off her I was able to make some good paellas into extraordinary ones. When my husband and I were no longer capable of finishing the paellas that continued to emerge from my kitchen, we dropped them off with her doorman. She eagerly accepted and ate with gusto each and every one and offered her perceptive critique.
My husband, Luis, has always been an integral part of my writing career, offering staunch support and encouragement. He is my most reliable critic, editor, constant travel companion. We have crisscrossed Spain for decades, sharing wonderful experiences and endless good times.
Tino Salcedo, representative in New York for IVEXan organization dedicated to advancing Valencian productsarranged the fascinating excursion I took through the rice fields of Valencia and provided me with Valencian food supplies, while Zaida Rivera Alcalde of Med Foods in Alexandria, Virginia, unhesitantly replenished my continually dwindling supplies of rice, saffron, and olive oil.
My deepest appreciation to Ignacio Vasallo for his assistance and good cheer, to my good friend and colleague, Pilar Vico, for her unstinting support of all my projects, and to Jos Carlos Fernndez for his swift and efficient attention to all my travel needs. Janet Kafka, ardent promotor of all things Spanish, was, as always, exceptionally generous with her time and expertise.
For every one of my books I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my friend and mentor, Craig Claiborne, who launched my writing career and has remained a good friend. And I thank my editor, Beth Crossman, for her enthusiastic support of this project and her unswerving belief in its success.
for Spanish Products
Few food specialty shops stock an adequate supply of foods and equipment used in Spanish cooking. The following sources not only have a great variety of Spanish products but will fill mail orders.
The Spanish Table
1427 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
206-682-2827
Just about every quality food and wine imported from Spain, including excellent piquillo peppers, aged Manchego cheese, serrano ham, squid ink, dried sweet red peppers (oras), and smoked paprika, can be found here as well as paella pans and earthenware casseroles in all sizes. Prized Valencian bomba and several other kinds of rice from Spain are available. Circular gas rings in several sizes to make paella outdoors are also in stock.
La Espaola
25020 Doble Avenue
Harbor City, CA 90710
310-539-0455
A wonderful selection of homemade Spanish sausage products, including black morcillas, plus paella pans and squid ink, cheese, rice, and many other Spanish foods. I am particularly fond of the cocktail-size chorizos, chistorra semi-cured sausage, and dry-cured Cantimpalos.
Zingermans
422 Detroit Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
313-769-1625 (for mail order); 313-663-3400 (store)
Only the very best Spanish foods are stocked here, from the finest olive oils and sherry vinegars to exquisite piquillo peppers and top-of-the-line Spanish cheeses.
Dean & Deluca
560 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
800-221-7714 (for mail order); 212-431-1691 (store)
Paella rice, excellent olive oils, fine saffron, and paella pans.
Draegers
1010 University Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
415-688-0688
Paella pans, Spanish earthenware casseroles, and many Spanish food products.
La Tienda
www.tienda.com
888-472-1022
On-line source for excellent Mas Portell piquillo peppers, olive oils, and black olive pate. Also Spanish rice, serrano ham, caperberries, honey, turrn candy, and coffee.