A LESSON IN PAELLA
On our second full day in Valencia, we visited the ceramic museum to see some beautiful tile work and also the museum of fine arts for works by older Spanish artists. The afternoon was devoted to paella, a demonstration of how it is made (a long process) by a prize winning paella chef. We were in the town of Alafar close to the home of paella at the La Matandeta restaurant. It all starts with a wood fire (sticks of pine and some orange branches) and a very large paella pan filled with olive oil. 
Once the oil is hot, the meats (in this case rabbit and chicken) are added to the oil to cook. 
Next, long beans, garlic and saffron are added, then some snails, and eventually the rice and small branches of rosemary. Once the rice is in, there is minimal stirring.
It is traditionally a man’s project (like barbecuing in the U.S.) and managing the fire to have it hot enough and then near the end cooling it down, requires adding sticks at the appropriate time and then knowing when to move them off to the side. 
While the cooking was happening, we enjoyed meats and cheeses and other tidbits served with pitchers of sangria. When the paella was ready, we sat down to a tasty lunch!
Note: All photos copyright JWFarrington
