Mistress of Spices – Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott
Do you know the difference between an herb and a spice? Well here is the short answer. Herbs are the leafy parts of a plant – so basil, parsley, oregano are herbs. Spices are the hard parts of a plant, the roots, nuts, berries and barks – so pepper, ginger, cinnamon are spices. There are some plants that create herbs AND spices at different times – like cilantro and coriander both coming from the same plant.
Almost everything in my “spice” cabinet can be classified one way or the other. But what about Saffron? It is not the leaf, but the stamen of a flower, and it is not a hard part of the plant either. I guess we’ll call it a spice. While it was native to Asia and first cultivated in Greece, saffron is best known for its connection to Spain both as a producer and in cooking. It is easily the most expensive spice in the world, and can cost $200/ounce. It is sold in “threads” which are actually the dried stamens. It infuses beautiful color in dishes, but the fragrance is like NO OTHER! It smells like a sun drenched field full of hay and wild flowers.
Did you know that you taste food first with your eyes, then with your nose and lastly with your tongue? It’s true. For me the smell is the thing that gets my engine revving, and certain smells can bring back amazing Food Memories. Cotton candy always reminds me of my Mom running the concession stand at Lake Taghkanic State Park. Wonton Soup takes me to my sister Nancy’s house as does falafel because she has the best places for both of them right around the corner from her house.
A few weeks ago I smelled something that took me RIGHT BACK to being a poor newlywed living in Spain. Chef Beni Velasquez’ Paella. He cooks it in a tremendous pan, outdoors on a custom frame and propane burner at his restaurant Bar + Bistro. When we lived in Spain, every Thursday was Paella Day in our part of the country (just outside Madrid) and I would walk down the street with my own red, rectangular dish to Pinky’s, our neighborhood bodega, and she would give us a loaf of bread and enough paella for both John and I for about $5. (For the uninformed, Paella is a rice dish containing shellfish, chicken and Spanish chorizo among other things, but without the saffron it is just chicken and rice.) The first time I went to get “take out” Pinky had no idea what I was talking about – this being a small town in Europe in 1988. They sat down to eat. I explained what I wanted, but she didn’t have a container to put the Paella into, so I walked home, got my own container and Pinky started a little take out business for her American clients in the neighborhood.
I had never successfully made Paella until yesterday. I coaxed Beni into loaning me his big pan and custom burner. Further, I wheedled his secret recipes out of him after swearing not to share it – please don’t ask, I won’t break my word. The original plan was for Beni to bring the saffron stock from the restaurant, telling me it was “complicated and has like 15 ingredients”. I assured him I was “no joke in the kitchen” and that I could handle it. And so I did!
After 3 days of shopping and prep work (creating stocks, partially cooking the rice, etc), a few friends who LOVE to cook, and one who loves to help clean up, came over with their spouses and we cooked. Together. Under Chef Beni’s supervision. The rule was Beni wasn’t allowed to actually cook, only facilitate (moment of truth – I yelled at him every time he touched a utensil). I got to be executive chef for the day, coordinating everyone’s tasks, setting up, and getting the ball rolling. It was spectacular!
Of course there was wine, cocktails, homemade beer and much laughter. Wisely, knowing the size of the pan – 3 feet in diameter – I had bought disposable plastic containers for everyone to take home leftovers. I hope we are all having Paella for dinner tonight! We had so much fun that we are thinking of making this a regular deal. A collaborative, creative way for us cooks to spend time together and do something we all love. Perhaps this can be the beginning of a new tradition!
My Food Memories this week are insomnia induced cooking (Tetrazzini, Chicken a la King), New England Clam Chowder with friend Lynn and of course the Paella Cookout. The pics this week are from that event.
Until next week, go out and make your own Food Memories.
