The last month was a tumble dryer of life, cries and laughter. Not easy, I must say, but it's all about adjustments. The most difficult is the language barrier. I have a new family in Spain, but I can't really communicate. Well, that's what I thought. With food you can communicate. It is an international language.

I am learning a lot about Spanish traditions and food.(and soon they will know about my tradtional food from South Africa! - but I think I will take my time. )

On Sunday we went to my new brother-in-law's house in the mountains. I must say, it was wonderful to get out of the city and smell fresh air! My mother-in-law (I call her Mamma) and my brother's mother-in-law made Paella. Now, I was lucky enough, because Paella pronounced: Paeja) is a traditional dish from the region where we live. Paella was originally a laborers' meal, cooked over an open fire in the fields and eaten directly from the pan using wooden spoons. Seafood is rare in the fields of Valencia, which is why they used chicken, rabbit, duck and snails.

There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta); but there are many others as well. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat, snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and sometimes beans.

In Valencia things are a little different - there, making paella is a part of local pride and every mother claims to make the best paella in the country! Now, I am sure I tasted the best paella in the world. We had the mixed paella with fresh ingredients.

Watch the video and enjoy the paella with me!

Chef Lu greetings



FOR PAELLA EQUIPMENT SEE:
 http://www.thepaellacompany.co.uk/?gclid=COSzjenutaACFSpd4wodTA_1-g