Paella, the spicy treat

I am a well-traveled person, but one country holds a special place in my heart: Spain.

In 2001, I was living in Arizona as a single mother. After 9/11, Arizona became a less friendly place to Arab immigrants such as myself. I had two friends, Ruth and Gerda, who offered their homes as shelter to me and my son. I still felt unsafe. I sold everything in a yard sale and left. My sister lived in Rota, Spain, so I went with my son to visit her and hide out for couple of months.

I was introduced to Paella, which instantly became my favorite comfort food. Maybe it was because I was raised with culturally similar dishes, or maybe because I felt an Arabic connection with it. Centuries ago the Moors brought rice and saffron from Africa to Spain. The dish was originally a smart way of cooking leftovers. The word for Paella in Arabic is Baqyiyah. The letter Q dropped in conversational Arabic, and the Spaniards turned Bayiyah into Paella. Yes, Paella – today's Spanish staple dish – has an Arabic origin.

I loved everything about my time in Spain. Visiting Granada and seeing all the Moorish influences in the architecture, music, and food made me forget that awful 9/11 period in Arizona. I loved the siesta, the relaxed lifestyle, and eating Paella. I eventually went back home but I promised myself to visit Spain again.

In December 2019, I took my family to Seville, Spain. My husband and my youngest son had never been there and I was hoping that they would love Spain as much as I did. I took a Spanish level 1 course before our trip. I managed to have some limited interactions, but at least I was able to order Paella in Spanish. My husband, who does not speak Spanish, only said “Adios!” as we left. He gestured with his hand and smiled proudly. Restaurant workers laughed. I was incredibly happy to see my youngest son, who is very particular about food, love Paella.

We did not know at the time that Spain was going to be our only travel for a long while. When we returned home, COVID-19 restrictions began and we felt trapped like everyone else. Cooking Paella was the perfect reminder of our last trip and all the fun we had in Spain.

It is not easy to find Spanish Saffron here. You would probably need to look for it in your local international food markets and ask the staff for it. It will probably not be on the shelf. It is typically locked behind glass or back at the manager’s office. Spanish saffron is so valuable that it may seem like buying gold. It sells in ounces like caviar and its price is always high. I like to call it the ‘Red Gold’.

If you can visit Spain, make sure you order some of the delicious Paella. If you still do not feel like traveling, try cooking it. Here is my recipe:

Collect some yellow onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, a lemon, and frozen peas. For protein, use chicken thighs or breast, shrimp, mussels, calamari and a sausage of your choice. My favorite is turkey sausage. For spices, use paprika, salt, pepper and the ‘Red Gold’ Spanish Saffron. You can use Spanish rice; I use Basmati rice. Don’t forget the olive oil!

Now get ready to cook! Sauté diced onion until translucent, then add garlic and olive oil. Throw in a healthy dose of paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Add chicken thighs or breast, whichever you prefer, and the rice. I peel the shrimp and add water in a separate pan to make broth. You can always substitute with chicken broth, you if you prefer. Pour the hot broth slowly over your mixture and shake the pan to make sure it soaks through the rice. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat. Cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, then add frozen peas, sliced sausages, mussels, shrimp, and calamari. Cook for five more minutes. Taste the rice – if it is not fully done, add more broth and leave it on for another five minutes. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top for an added flavor.

One last step: put on some Spanish music and serve your Paella!