Saffron the constant in paella varieties

Kate

March 30, 2005

BY BRENDA WARNER ROTZOLL

In Spain there is paella, and then there's paella. There are different ingredients in different parts of the country, in addition to the classic seafood-based rice dish seasoned with saffron that originated in the Valencia region.

Go inland and you will find meat or chicken or a wide variety of vegetables in your paella (pronounced pah-ay'-ah) instead of fish and shellfish.

When I was in Spain to write a travel story a few years ago I had the good fortune to lunch at Madrid's premier paella restaurant, L'Albufera. The menu offers 25 styles of paella, or you may custom-order any combination you like. I had a chicken-based paella.

Remembering that paella is open to some interpretation, three Christmases ago when vacationing in my hometown of Baraboo, Wis., where I've just retired, I whipped up a special Wisconsin Cold-Weather Paella for a holiday meal that was warmly received.

The meats in it were ham, pepperoni and Polish kielbasa, the latter an accidental but happy addition. I couldn't find pepperoni and in despair picked up a ring of kielbasa. Of course then I found pre-sliced pepperoni a few seconds later. Why not use both, I thought.

I was distrustful of the nontraditional cooking technique advocated in an English-language Spanish cookbook so I sought advice from my Spanish-born friend Ana Mendieta, at that time a fellow reporter at the Sun-Times.

"It's easy. First you make your soffrito," she said, then add rice, liquid, seasonings, and whatever main ingredients you feel like.

The soffrito is vegetables sauteed, or fried, until they are soft. It always includes chopped tomatoes and onions. Ana uses thin-sliced bell peppers, which I love, and sometimes I add mushrooms. I cheat and use a 6-ounce can of tomato paste instead of a fresh tomato. Got a favorite vegetable? Add that. Various types of beans are found in many paella recipes.

The key flavoring ingredient is saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. In supermarkets or specialty grocers it can cost $15 for a tiny vial containing one gram of saffron. Try the Indian groceries along Devon Avenue for much less expensive saffron.

I knew I wanted to make this dish often so I invested $60 and bought an entire ounce of saffron at an Evanston spice store. What a bargain, when you think that buying it a gram at a time for the same quantity would come to $420.

The clerk laughed and said an ounce should last seven years. Not with my profligate ways with herbs and spices. That first ounce in its fancy tin lasted a little more than two years, and I've just ordered another ounce.

An ounce of saffron from India is $22 plus about $6 shipping from Patel Brothers on Devon Avenue. An ounce is 28 grams. A five-gram packet there costs $8 plus shipping.

I lugged a small paella pan home from Madrid but it only holds enough for four people and I like to cook in quantity. Sometimes I use a 14-inch wok. If taking paella to a party I make it in a four- or six-quart Dutch oven, for ease of carrying.

Note: Two Chicago stores that will sell saffron by mail are Patel Brothers, (773) 764-1857 and The Spice House, (312) 274-0378 or www.thespicehouse.com.

Brenda Warner Rotzoll is a free-lance writer living in Baraboo, Wis.
Note from Kate: You'll find Brenda's cold weather paella recipe in casseroles and entrees.
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A closed mouth gathers no feet.