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| Paella, by Land and Sea | Paella, by Land and Sea |
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| Westport, Mass. — It all began innocently enough. “Valerie and her sister make the best paella ever,” my friend Ihsan Gurdal said. Even though Ihsan happens to be Valerie’s husband, no one who had ever tasted her paella had any reason to doubt him. | Westport, Mass. — It all began innocently enough. “Valerie and her sister make the best paella ever,” my friend Ihsan Gurdal said. Even though Ihsan happens to be Valerie’s husband, no one who had ever tasted her paella had any reason to doubt him. |
| But our mutual friend (and my frequent collaborator) Chris Schlesinger was listening. And Chris has a well-demonstrated knack for turning what might be considered work into fun, very often by making it into a competition. | But our mutual friend (and my frequent collaborator) Chris Schlesinger was listening. And Chris has a well-demonstrated knack for turning what might be considered work into fun, very often by making it into a competition. |
| “Let’s have a contest,” he suggested. “We’ll invite a bunch of people over, make dueling paellas and let everybody vote.” | “Let’s have a contest,” he suggested. “We’ll invite a bunch of people over, make dueling paellas and let everybody vote.” |
| That was five years ago, and each summer since, Valerie and Chris have gone head-to-head in the annual Westport Paella Tournament. This is primarily an excuse to get a group of friends together and eat. But for Chris, it also has the hidden intent of encouraging folks to try cooking interesting and challenging food. | That was five years ago, and each summer since, Valerie and Chris have gone head-to-head in the annual Westport Paella Tournament. This is primarily an excuse to get a group of friends together and eat. But for Chris, it also has the hidden intent of encouraging folks to try cooking interesting and challenging food. |
| So a couple of weeks ago, 25 friends were invited to Chris’s house for the cook-off, installment No. 5. | So a couple of weeks ago, 25 friends were invited to Chris’s house for the cook-off, installment No. 5. |
| The contestants are well matched. Chris is an award-winning Boston chef and restaurateur and the author, with me, of nine cookbooks. Valerie is an experienced restaurant cook and owner of South End Formaggio, a specialty food store in Boston. | The contestants are well matched. Chris is an award-winning Boston chef and restaurateur and the author, with me, of nine cookbooks. Valerie is an experienced restaurant cook and owner of South End Formaggio, a specialty food store in Boston. |
| But Valerie has an ace in the hole: heritage. Her maternal grandfather immigrated from Burgos in northern Spain, and opened a restaurant in the 1950s in Miami called Poncho’s, where he featured Spanish home cooking. Though paella was too complicated for his restaurant menu, he made it for every family celebration while Valerie and her sister, Renee, looked on. Perhaps as a result, Valerie has won all four previous tournaments. | But Valerie has an ace in the hole: heritage. Her maternal grandfather immigrated from Burgos in northern Spain, and opened a restaurant in the 1950s in Miami called Poncho’s, where he featured Spanish home cooking. Though paella was too complicated for his restaurant menu, he made it for every family celebration while Valerie and her sister, Renee, looked on. Perhaps as a result, Valerie has won all four previous tournaments. |
| Undaunted, Chris as usual predicted victory, confiding to me that he had two new double-secret additions to the dish. Valerie confidently relied on her knowledge and experience, plus the addition to her team of her niece, Cata Barrera. | Undaunted, Chris as usual predicted victory, confiding to me that he had two new double-secret additions to the dish. Valerie confidently relied on her knowledge and experience, plus the addition to her team of her niece, Cata Barrera. |
| As loose and easy as this contest was, there were some basic ground rules, which largely had to do with the nature of the dish. | As loose and easy as this contest was, there were some basic ground rules, which largely had to do with the nature of the dish. |
| Like Southern barbecue or Texas chili, paella carries cultural as well as culinary significance. Every Spanish cook worth his or her jamón knows the one and only correct way to make it, which is of course the way it was made in his or her family. In such situations, it’s best to go light on the authenticity and concentrate on what made the dish popular in the first place, which is that it makes a great party. | Like Southern barbecue or Texas chili, paella carries cultural as well as culinary significance. Every Spanish cook worth his or her jamón knows the one and only correct way to make it, which is of course the way it was made in his or her family. In such situations, it’s best to go light on the authenticity and concentrate on what made the dish popular in the first place, which is that it makes a great party. |
| But both contestants agreed that, to qualify as paella, their dishes had to use traditional short-grain Spanish rice, which absorbs up to twice as much liquid as other varieties. This gives the cooked rice a particularly creamy interior even when it is still slightly al dente, and enables it to soak up more flavor from whatever it’s cooked in. | But both contestants agreed that, to qualify as paella, their dishes had to use traditional short-grain Spanish rice, which absorbs up to twice as much liquid as other varieties. This gives the cooked rice a particularly creamy interior even when it is still slightly al dente, and enables it to soak up more flavor from whatever it’s cooked in. |
| Valerie, as in years past, made her family’s version, which features meat and poultry, while Chris preferred a seafood-based version, which also included pork, because he tends to put pork in everything. Her implement of choice was her grandfather’s well-worn paella pan, and her fuel of choice charcoal. Chris used the 22-inch camp skillet that is his new toy this summer, and wood for his fire. | Valerie, as in years past, made her family’s version, which features meat and poultry, while Chris preferred a seafood-based version, which also included pork, because he tends to put pork in everything. Her implement of choice was her grandfather’s well-worn paella pan, and her fuel of choice charcoal. Chris used the 22-inch camp skillet that is his new toy this summer, and wood for his fire. |
| As with any discussion of paella, the matter of the bottom layer of rice soon came to the fore. Called socarrat, this crisp, browned, almost-burned layer is part of what defines the dish. “In my family, we always called it rak-rak,” said Valerie (who pronounces it “rock-rock”), “and being able to create it was the mark of a good paella maker.” | As with any discussion of paella, the matter of the bottom layer of rice soon came to the fore. Called socarrat, this crisp, browned, almost-burned layer is part of what defines the dish. “In my family, we always called it rak-rak,” said Valerie (who pronounces it “rock-rock”), “and being able to create it was the mark of a good paella maker.” |
| Whatever you call it, this thin layer of crunchiness is the reason you don’t stir the paella after adding the rice. “It’s hard to get the rak-rak,” Valerie said, “but as long as you keep the liquid at a slow simmer, don’t stir and have an alert nose to smell if it’s burning, you’ve got a chance.” | Whatever you call it, this thin layer of crunchiness is the reason you don’t stir the paella after adding the rice. “It’s hard to get the rak-rak,” Valerie said, “but as long as you keep the liquid at a slow simmer, don’t stir and have an alert nose to smell if it’s burning, you’ve got a chance.” |
| Chris, as is his nature, tended to be easygoing in regard to the socarrat. “If you’re a professional, they will judge you by it,” he said, but paella is something like barbecue: you have to work with the same setup and the same fire countless times to get it perfect. “If you can make paella the first time without burning anything,” he said, “you’re golden. If you get a good socarrat, that’s a bonus.” | Chris, as is his nature, tended to be easygoing in regard to the socarrat. “If you’re a professional, they will judge you by it,” he said, but paella is something like barbecue: you have to work with the same setup and the same fire countless times to get it perfect. “If you can make paella the first time without burning anything,” he said, “you’re golden. If you get a good socarrat, that’s a bonus.” |
| Given her occupation, Valerie naturally put a strong emphasis on ingredients, using the traditional rabbit, fresh chorizo made in her store, true Serrano ham and Calasparra rice, a particularly slow-growing strain of short-grained Spanish rice, the favorite of aficionados for its ability to absorb even more flavor than the more common bomba rice. | Given her occupation, Valerie naturally put a strong emphasis on ingredients, using the traditional rabbit, fresh chorizo made in her store, true Serrano ham and Calasparra rice, a particularly slow-growing strain of short-grained Spanish rice, the favorite of aficionados for its ability to absorb even more flavor than the more common bomba rice. |
| Her technical innovation? Grilling the meats first so they acquired a smoky sear before going into the rice. | Her technical innovation? Grilling the meats first so they acquired a smoky sear before going into the rice. |
| Chris, as befits his 25 years as a professional grill chef, veered toward technique. The keys, he said, are “first, a flavorful stock of many liquids, because that’s largely what the rice is going to end up tasting like.” Second is what he likes to call the Goldilocks fire: not too hot, because that will cause the rice to suck up the liquid too quickly; not too cool, because that will cause the rice to become slightly mushy. Just precisely right. | Chris, as befits his 25 years as a professional grill chef, veered toward technique. The keys, he said, are “first, a flavorful stock of many liquids, because that’s largely what the rice is going to end up tasting like.” Second is what he likes to call the Goldilocks fire: not too hot, because that will cause the rice to suck up the liquid too quickly; not too cool, because that will cause the rice to become slightly mushy. Just precisely right. |
| His innovations? A Secret Flavor Weapon (herbs and spices steeped in sherry) added to the rice, and a finishing relish of grilled garlic scapes and pine nuts. | His innovations? A Secret Flavor Weapon (herbs and spices steeped in sherry) added to the rice, and a finishing relish of grilled garlic scapes and pine nuts. |
| As the contestants labored over their respective fires, the rest of us kibitzed, ate Spanish cheeses and cured meats and compared the virtues of rosé and white-wine sangrias in a side contest. (Rosé won by a landslide.) When the cooks were done, the great pans were brought to the table and everyone dug in. | As the contestants labored over their respective fires, the rest of us kibitzed, ate Spanish cheeses and cured meats and compared the virtues of rosé and white-wine sangrias in a side contest. (Rosé won by a landslide.) When the cooks were done, the great pans were brought to the table and everyone dug in. |
| Each version demonstrated in its way the virtues of the dish: beautifully creamy rice with just a bit of resistance to the bite, rich with the flavors of the broth and liberally studded, respectively, with meats smoky from the fire or perfectly tender shrimp, briny clams and rich pork. | Each version demonstrated in its way the virtues of the dish: beautifully creamy rice with just a bit of resistance to the bite, rich with the flavors of the broth and liberally studded, respectively, with meats smoky from the fire or perfectly tender shrimp, briny clams and rich pork. |
| As for the prized socarrat: mixed bag. Both dishes had a crispy layer on the bottom, and those of us who are fans dug enthusiastically for it, but neither was perfect. Nobody cared; it was delicious. | As for the prized socarrat: mixed bag. Both dishes had a crispy layer on the bottom, and those of us who are fans dug enthusiastically for it, but neither was perfect. Nobody cared; it was delicious. |
| The winner? Well, that’s a little hazy; thanks perhaps to the sangria, the voting procedure was particularly lax. But when the count was made, the winner by one vote was: Mr. Schlesinger. For the first time. | The winner? Well, that’s a little hazy; thanks perhaps to the sangria, the voting procedure was particularly lax. But when the count was made, the winner by one vote was: Mr. Schlesinger. For the first time. |
| The champion’s advice to home cooks who want to reap the many rewards of venturing into paella territory is to pay the most attention to the rice, and play loose with everything else. If you use a traditional 18 1/2-inch paella pan like Valerie’s (you can find them online), or even a large cast-iron skillet, you can actually do this on most standard outdoor grills, which measure 22 inches. Of course, you can also cut either recipe in half, use a standard sauté pan, and make a recipe for 6 to 8 instead of 12 to 16. | The champion’s advice to home cooks who want to reap the many rewards of venturing into paella territory is to pay the most attention to the rice, and play loose with everything else. If you use a traditional 18 1/2-inch paella pan like Valerie’s (you can find them online), or even a large cast-iron skillet, you can actually do this on most standard outdoor grills, which measure 22 inches. Of course, you can also cut either recipe in half, use a standard sauté pan, and make a recipe for 6 to 8 instead of 12 to 16. |
| The one rule you must follow: have fun. | The one rule you must follow: have fun. |
| As for our contestants, there’s always next year. After all, as Valerie said, “One of us has to nail that rak-rak.” | As for our contestants, there’s always next year. After all, as Valerie said, “One of us has to nail that rak-rak.” |
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | |
| Correction: July 24, 2013 | |
A recipe last Wednesday for Paella of the Land misstated the amount of saffron needed to equal 2 teaspoons. It is 1 gram, not 1 ounce. |