On a recent trip to Valencia, the birth place of one of Spain’s national dishes (Paella), one of the Nella family members (of Toronto’s cooking studio Nella Cucina) met a young, talented Valencian chef named Pau Montagudo. He was so impressed by the young man’s culinary prowess that he invited Pau to cook for a sold-out class in Toronto recently- much to the delight of this city’s residents.
At 26 years of age, Pau is a talented cook who loves the flavours and subtle nuances of the Valencian repertoire. After attending the Universitat Politecnica in his hometown, Pau went on to train in the Costa de Azahar region, followed by Perigord, France and Bideford, England to round off his culinary skills. He has worked with famed Spanish Chef Martin Berasategui and most recently at the much-lauded Galbis Restaurant in Valencia. It was there that Pau helped make the Guiness World Record holding paella- it fed 110,000 people! Now that’s a lot of Bomba Rice!
The Spanish King of Rice
Speaking of Bomba Rice- it’s THE rice if you want to make a truly authentic, flavourful paella. Capable of absorbing three times its volume in liquid, this is the rice of choice when making Spanish paella- much like you’d use a good Carnaroli or Arborio for making a creamy risotto (only bomba rice grains are smaller than those and aren’t meant to be creamy). And Bomba brand is grown in Valencia- so you can see where we’re going with this. If you’re in Toronto, you can find it at Pasquale Brothers in Etobicoke or at the St. Lawrence Market.
In Pau’s Authentic Valencia class, the chef made four fantastic versions of the savoury rice dish- but first, he plated up a few tasty tapas for the almost forty-strong crowd. There were sturdy shavings of Jamon Iberico (good cured Spanish, acorn-fed ham) draped over a crostini with oyster mushrooms, a croquette of chicken, stock and cream that was silky and texture perfect, as well as a couple of Spanish olives wearing a thin coat of a pickled anchovy. We sipped on a fantastic Albariño from northwest Galicia- a fruity white wine that refreshed and provided a nice counterpoint to all of the savoury treats.
Paella- The Word and the Pan
According to Wikipedia, “the word paella is old Valencian and probably has its roots in the Latin 'patella' (a flat basket in Galicia). The Castilian 'paila' and the French 'paele' mean the same thing.” In terms of cooking, a Paella or in Spanish a paellera is a round, two-handled, flat bottom shallow pan made of iron or stainless steel. The group watched in rapt fascination as a generous sized Paella Pan was heated, drizzled with Spanish olive oil (claro que si!) and then sprinkled with salt before anything else was added. We savoured the Traditional Paella Valenciana –the one that’s usually made and shared on Sundays when families gather round for lunch- spiked with pieces of browned rabbit and chicken (not one piece of chorizo in the lot- that’s a Madrid style Paella ). There was also a lovely vegetarian paella (perfect for the couple sitting nearby who adhere to a strict Kosher diet), a full bodied monkfish and shrimp seafood paella and lastly, a squid ink paella. The latter paella was the colour of ebony and was the best in show- served with an infused oil of parsley, and garlic and topped with tender calamari rounds, it was like dining out at a seaside Spanish town where life is slower, gentler, and at least ocean-breeze kissed...
Every paella was paired with a terrific Spanish wine not available at our LCBO much to our collective chagrin. We ended the evening with Chef Pau’s Crema Valenciana, a softer-set and even more delicious version of a Crema Catalana without the bruleed sugar crust top. Instead, this crema boasted threads of Valencian orange sitting neatly in a dainty pool of cinnamon and orange caramel. Fantastico! Come back and visit again soon Chef Pau – Toronto needs more Spanish sabor!
For some of Chef Pau’s recipes, click here and Buen Provecho!
Paella Making Tip from Pau:
DON’T over-stir your rice. You want plump, individual rice grains that aren’t creamy, pasty or glue-like globs. If you stir too much, you’ll release too much of the rice’s starch and you don't want that. There’s an old Spanish saying- “don’t make your rice sea sick”- which means, once added, give it a quick stir and let it be. You’ll have better results this way!
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