Paella, Sangria, y Flan...OH MY!

Tonight, six other students from school and I took a Spanish cooking class.  I definitely know what the first family dinner at Albert's House this spring is going to be...Paella, Sangria, y Flan!  Yummm!  Paella is a rice dish that originated in Valencia, and tonight we made the traditional Valencian version with rice, chicken, garlic, snap peas, rosemary, paprika, tomatos, and beans.  There was also rabbit in it, but I tried to avoid it because eating a rabbit just freaks me out haha.  Especially because before being cooked it was literally a whole rabbit.  Eyes, organs, bones...the whole thing, eww.  When I make paella this Spring I will be sure to leave the rabbit out of it.  The concinero (cook) that taught our class was very nice and patient with us when explaining the recipes.  He could only speak Spanish and had to repeat everything a million times before we understood what we were supposed to do.  Because of situations like this, which immerse me in the culture of Spain, my Spanish is really starting to improve.  I feel more confident when I speak and can carry complete conversations about real stuff!  My conversations are no longer limited to the weather or other bland topics :D

The cooking school

   

Chopping up las cebollas (onions) and mixing the paella, which is cooked in a special HUGE pan

Cooking the pumpkin for a different rice dish, which is being moved from the 

stove to the oven by our instructor in the picture on the right.

Adding the rice to the paella

The complete rice dish - Arroz de Calabaza, Morcilla, y Setas

(Rice with pumpkin, blood sausage (gross, I did not eat this haha), and mushrooms)

Pro Spanish cooks with the rice dish

Gathering around the DELICIOUS paella valenciana

Flan!