Chef Sara in the Making

May 31, 2023

    One of my best Spanish meals was eaten today, and guess what…it was made by us! Today was our cooking class! It is something I had been looking forward to the whole trip. Each person played an important role in contributing to our meal. I started off by cutting bell peppers, squid, and chicken for the paella. Others were in charge of making the cake, grating tomatoes, or preparing the paella pan.  The next thing I helped do is peel the shrimp. Most people didn’t want to do this because it is a bit unusual. I have grown up my whole life peeling shrimp, so I was used to the process. While we were peeling the shrimp, the cake was in the oven, and the paella dish was being made. There was never a moment when I was bored as I was always intrigued by the kitchen action. After a fun filled hour and a half in the kitchen, it was time to eat our creations. The menu: gazpacho, pinto de tortilla, mixed paella, and tarte de Santiago. Everything tasted so light and delicious. The pinto de tortilla was cooked to perfection, and I am even considering adding a Texas Twist to it at home. I honestly was not expecting to like the paella because I was scared it was fishy. It turned out to be the best paella on the entire trip, and everything was cooked to perfection. Lastly, the Santiago Tart Cake was everything I needed. It was a light cake topped with almond flour. I felt perfectly full after lunch, and I loved this activity so much!!

  

This is the pinto de tortilla that I flipped in the pan. I am going
to add bacon and cheese when I make it at home!!

I did not like paella until we made this. It was one of my favorite dishes
of the trip, and I am going to try to make a "mini" version at home.