Book review: Paella by Omar Allibhoy
Think you know Spain's national dish? Think again.
Omar Allibhoy, through his newly released book Paella, demonstrates there is a whole other world that this pinnacle of Spanish cuisine inhabits. Allibhoy states he's "dedicated more time to the single art of understanding and cooking [paella] than any other dish", and his book reveals this in abundance.
Likening it to the Brits sacred Sunday roast, the Spanish chef, food author and owner of Tapas Revolution takes us through his emotional connection with the dish, speaking of family holidays at his grandparent's apartment near Valencia's Benidorm, where pan after pan of paella was served to 20 gathering around the table, and of spending his grandfather's birthdays at a small arrocería (paella restaurant).
His love for Spain's national dish is threaded throughout the book, but despite this emotional connection, Allibhoy is not precious or protective of recipes, encouraging readers to alter or substitute ingredients which aren't readily available.
The 50 one-pot paella recipes are heavily weighted towards meat, which constitutes almost half the number of recipes (24) to seafood paella's 15, and vegetarian's 11. But the innovation is fun. Take arroz de pollo, peras y pancetta (chicken, pear and smoked bacon), where caramelised pears with a sprig of rosemary add sweetness to the salty bacon and fatty skin-on chicken thighs.
While some of the ingredients are expensive (saffron appears in every recipe, but he has a section with a life-size image guide when measuring saffron from 0.1g to 0.4g), with rice as the main proportion of the dish and his prolific use of canned beans, it can be a relatively cheap one-pot meal to rustle up.
Paella is just as much for everyday domestic cooking as it is the more experienced chefs. And, as we learn that all sorts of ingredients can be added, so too this book is crammed full of ideas and inspiration. So, have fun, experiment, and take risks when trying out the recipes and, in Allibhoy's oft-used phrase, ¡Buen provecho!
Paella by Omar Allibhoy (Quadrille, £18)
