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Paella, Spain's most famous dish. "I have been cooking paella for more than 30 years now, and I'm still learning." This observation, uttered by Juan Pomares, reveals the humbling nature of Spain's most famous export.
When a man like Pomares, who was raised on his mother's paella in El Altet, a small town near Alicante-Valencia, admits he hasn't yet mastered paella's elusive alchemy, two conclusions can be drawn: Pomares is a wise man, and even life's simplest pleasures have complicated origins.
Paella Valenciana is a one-pan peasant's dish made with rice, vegetables, saffron, chicken and seafood. There is almost universal disagreement over what constitutes "real" paella. Some argue that it never includes sausage, though whole regions of Spain would never touch paella that does not contain chorizo Bilbao. Others insist it has to be cooked in a special Paella Pan outside over wood coals, while plenty paella lovers think using the stove top and skillet works equally well. There are those who swear it's not paella without green peas, or without the special rice grown near Valencia.....Only one thing is certain about paella: "The touch of the person who is cooking the paella is crucial." So says Senor Pomares.
Pomares learned to cook paella from his mother, and has been cooking it for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Elisa, offer paella catering to some very large crowds, some times using paella pans that can feed 200 people each. He has special three-ring burners with gas controls for each ring, and buys his saffron, perhaps the most expensive spice in the world, from Spain. (From San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles" August 1997 by Neal Matthews).
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