Paella & Parc Guell

First day in Barcelona! Hourray! And what better way to initiate ourselves in the Catalan culture that with a Paella-cooking experience! Yup, you read that right - we learned how to cook real, authentic Spanish Paella - and ate to our hearts content.


I managed to find this cooking experience through Airbnb - a new feature - and it drew me in immediately. We would be learning all the details and traditions of the dish from Sara, using her grandmother's recipes, and partake in the preparing - and eating - of the meal with several other willing participants. We all met up at Sara's place, in a garage converted into a kitchen, with a beautiful garden and outdoor dining area behind. She has a really great set-up for her events! Once all eleven of us had arrived, bottles of wine were opened, glasses poured, and Sara began to explain to us the tools and methods for preparing a good paella. She pointed out the importance of the pan, nice and thin to properly sear the meat, extra large to allow for even cooking of the thin layer of rice, and made to thin steel, allowing for fast heating and equally fast cooling. She went over the techniques for making a proper sofrito - made of onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and wine, cooked over low heat until completely melted into a super-flavorful paste. She explained ingredients to use in different regions' paellas, and which you should NEVER include, such as strong-flavored meats, spicy sausage, or fatty fish. Once we got the run-down of all that, we began to cook.

We took turns adding ingredients to the pan, searing meats or stirring in sofrito, some participating more, while others preferred to watch, and discuss, and partake in the wine. It was a great class for everybody! Once the final simmering was underway, Sara invited us to try our hand at slicing Iberico Jamon, after which we all sat down to enjoy the ham with other tapas and more wine. Finally, she brought over the two pans of paella we had made, and we all got to eat. The rice was perfectly cooked, with just a little bite to it. The flavours of the ingredients had infused beautifully into the dish, so the perfume of sofrito and pimenton, a smoked pepper powder not unlike paprika, scented every bite. And both were slightly different for each other, the seafood one light and almost lemony, while the rabbit-artichoke one was more earthy in flavour. Delicious.

All while we ate, we discussed of food, obviously, but also of all manners of things. We talked of travels, both in Spain and elsewhere. We spoke of politics, being the only Canadians in a roomful of Americans. We also spoke of Catalan and the recent referendum, probing Sara with questions about the reasons behind the events. She was incredibly open with her opinions, and we were willing to listen, and learn, at least until someone brought the conversation back to Trump, and that was the end of that. Regardless, what we had heard gave us a greater understanding of what is going on, and we will got to bed tonight smarter for it.

After such a wonderful and filling meal, we needed to move a little, so Mario and I headed up the hill to Park Guell, one of Gaudi's great creations in the city. Here, we walked through the most amazing architectural creations I've ever seen - archways and bridges and overpasses, ornately designed, and yet formed from nothing but stones, all pieced together and cemented in place. You really have to see it to believe it! We could have also visited the center of the Park, where the mosaic-tiled esplanade and serpentine beach are located, but the line-up was long, the tickets expensive, and half the area undergoing restoration, so we skipped it for more
wandering through the vast Park.

We began our return just as the sun was setting, making our way back through the streets of Barcelona, heading towards the Sagrada Famiglia. We had passed by earlier in the day for a quick look, since we will tour inside tomorrow, and the promise of flood lights peaked my interest. After a stop at a wine shop/bar for a quick pick-me-up, we proceeded to the Basilica to be amazed by its grand, albeit unfinished, splendor. We are definitely looking forward to the more complete visit tomorrow!