Food by Ant

With every meal you make, there is a lesson and an experience that you come away with. Maybe you just made the greatest Carbonara of your life, or maybe you burnt the shit out of grandmas famous breakfast casserole. That’s okay, it happens, and you learn from it. And while you may have been stressed out at the time, I’m sure you can look back on it now and laugh at yourself for your errors. That is what I love about food and cooking. There are days when you feel like you can do no wrong in the kitchen, and then there are days where you are humbled by the simplest of tasks. At the end of the day, no matter the outcome, you come away with more knowledge than you had just two hours before. 

You might be wondering what that had to do with Paella, and if you are, I get the confusion. Let me first start out with a bit of backstory. In the spring of 2018, I left the US for the first time (if we don’t count Canada for two days). It was on a school-sponsored trip, and the destination was, you guessed it, Spain. That trip changed my life. For one, it was my introduction to world travel, which is still one of my greatest passions. However, it also expanded my culinary horizon. Walking through the stone streets of Granada, and eating paella and churros dipped in thick hot chocolate in Madrid were pleasures that I did not know I needed, but now cannot live without. My eyes were opened, my spirit was touched, and my stomach would never be the same. 

After returning from Spain, all I could think about was going back. And while I haven’t been able to return since, I have been able to cook the things that I fell in love with while abroad. Paella for me has always been more about the experience than the food itself. While it is undeniably delicious, I love the process of making it. At my house, Paella is exclusively made outside on the grill. For some reason, it is the only way we do it. Not only that, but we use a Weber 14 inch Smokey Joe to do it. If you don’t know what a Smokey Joe is, it’s a tiny, shitty, thirty-dollar charcoal grill that is awesome for making Paella. While it definitely has its issues, it works, and that’s all I can ask for. 

Let’s talk about those issues I mentioned for a second. For one, getting the grill to be level is particularly difficult. We put the grill on our driveway, which is very sloped and uneven in certain areas, making it difficult to get evenly cooked rice. The other issue we run into is that the paella pan is too big for the grill. To solve this issue, one must put three somewhat even rocks on top of the grill and balance the paella pan precariously on top so that it gets airflow and doesn’t choke out the flame. Like I said earlier, it’s about the experience. If you’re shooting for perfection when cooking like this you’re going to most likely be disappointed. It’s not about perfection, it’s about having a good time and spending the evening outside with friends and family. 

With that being said, I do want to point out that the end product was absolutely delicious. Even with a few minor issues, the paella still came out stunningly gorgeous. It is one of those foods that you can stare at and just say, “damn that looks good”. The combination of chicken thighs, shrimp, Spanish spicy chorizo, and clams not only looks amazing but tastes pretty freaking good too. The dish as a whole is savory and somewhat spicy, and a perfect combination of flavors and textures. The recipe I used was from a Podcast titled, The Splendid Table. It’s a great podcast to listen to if you want new ideas for recipes or if you just want to immerse yourself more in the world of food. The podcast episode and the recipe are both linked here. I’ve messed around with many different paella recipes before, and none of them have been as good as this one. 

As the night wore on, the wine continued to pour and the paella slowly disappeared with each bite. We talked, laughed, and enjoyed each second we had with each other. That is what cooking is all about to me. It’s about being in the moment, sharing your creation with those around you. Food is the great equalizer. It can bring people together in ways that most things cannot. It’s hard not to be romantic about that.

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