We love paella and don’t make it often enough. So when Fagor wrote to us about their paella pan and included a recipe (below) to make paella on the grill, our ears perked up. Before we get to the recipe, here’s a bit about paella, past and present.

> National Spanish Paella Day is March 27th, and World Paella Day is September 20th.

> The grilled paella recipe is below.

> The year’s 11 Spanish food holidays celebrated in the U.S.

> We begin with the history of paella.
 
 
PAELLA HISTORY

Paella (pronounced pie-AY-ya) originated in Valencia, a region on the Mediterranean (east) coast of Spain. It was originally a peasant dish, made by agricultural laborers who cooked a mixture of rice, snails, and vegetables in the fields. Cooked in a pan over an open fire. it was a communal dish, eaten directly from the pan with wooden spoons.

Valencianos who lived closer to the coast added local eel plus butter beans (lima beans). Paella is the type of dish that lends itself to adding whatever you have on hand, so can change seasonally. Recipes thus evolved in many directions.
 
 
MODERN PAELLA

The paella we know today—saffron rice mixed with chorizo, chicken, and seafood—did not evolve until the late 18th century, when living standards rose affording the use of more expensive ingredients—especially saffron, the world’s costliest spice.

It’s easy to vary the ingredients to create any type of paella, including vegetarian and vegan recipes. But three main styles developed in the 19th century:

 
By the mid-1800s, paella included short-grain white rice and a mix of proteins: chicken, duck, rabbit, and snails. Less affluent people often made do with snails alone. The dish was actually a “rice and beans” dish, with a mix of butter beans, Great Northern beans (white beans), and runner beans (green beans).

Artichokes and tomatoes replaced runner beans in the winter. Spices included garlic, pimentòn (sweet paprika), rosemary, saffron, and salt. The dish was cooked in olive oil.

The recipe continued to evolve as chorizo, green peas, olives, and roasted red pepper found their way into the dish.

We’ve seen recipes with chopped chard or escarole, eggplant, fennel, mushrooms, olives, onion, piquillo chiles, red or green bell pepper, snow peas, tomatoes (fresh diced or roasted), and seasonal (spring asparagus and winter squash, e.g.). Some cooks garnish the top of the paella with sliced hard-boiled eggs and lemon wheels.

The cook’s favorite ingredients were sure to be included. The chef at Soccarat, a group of tapas and paella restaurants in New York City, devised a paella menu that includes:

[2] Seafood paella on the grill (photo © A Couple Cooks.

[3] Chorizo and seafood paella; pan from IMUSA (photo © IMUSA).

[4] Paella is a freestyle dish: Whatever you have on hand can go into the pan. Here, chicken legs and thighs, green beans and corn are included. Our personal favorite combination: a mixto with pimento (red bell pepper in a jar), black and green olives, artichoke hearts and green peas, plus fresh asparagus in the spring (photo © Williams-Sonoma.com).

This recipe, sent to us by Fagor, takes about 40 minutes. Created by A Couple Cooks, can easily be made as a vegan dish. You can also add the traditional mixto ingredients, chicken thighs and sliced chorizo.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. HEAT the grill to medium-high heat. Prepare the ingredients: Scrub the mussels or clams; place them in a bowl with the shrimp. Slice the zucchini and mushrooms; chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Place the vegetables in a bowl.

2. MINCE 4 cloves of garlic and put them in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons olive oil. In a medium bowl, place ½ cup tomato purée and 5½ cups broth; mix to combine. In another bowl, add 2 cups arborio rice, 1 pinch saffron, 2 tablespoons pimentón, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a good amount of fresh ground pepper.

3. ASSEMBLE the paella: Bring the bowls of ingredients and the paella pan to the grill. Prior to cooking, add about 15 briquettes to the fire to keep the temperature up. Place the pan on the grill and add the olive oil and garlic; cook for about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the seafood; cook for about 2 minutes, flipping the shrimp once. Pour in the rice and spices so that they cover the pan. Add the broth and purée mixture and stir to combine.

4. COOK the paella for 20 to 30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cook uncovered on a charcoal grill or with the cover down on a gas grill. Make sure not to stir, since this is when the soccorat develops. (Editor’s note: Soccorat is the rice crust on the bottom of the pan, which some people find very exciting. We personally don’t like hard, crunchy rice).

5. CHECK to see that the rice on the bottom does not burn; it cooks fairly quickly. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes to cool.
 
 
WHY BUY A PAELLA PAN?

Why not make paella in a roasting pan or other vessel you already have?

You can, of course; but a paella pan is specifically designed for seamless heat conduction and retention. Fagor’s, with a heavyweight and enamel-on-steel design, is a great heat conductor on the grill, oven, or stovetop.

You can buy it Fagor Paella Pan or at retailers like Bed, Bath & Beyond. Be sure to get the 15-inch size. With a dish like paella, you want to make as much as you can and enjoy the leftovers.

A paella pan is a versatile piece of cookware that can also be used to make:

 
And the pan easily goes from stove to table (don’t forget a trivet).

____________

*The word vegetariano does exist in Spanish, but there is some poetic license involved with the orchard reference.

†Fideuà denotes the a type of cuisine from Catalonia, the northeastern part of Spain (north of Valencia). The style originated in the 1920s in the city of Gandia, when thin noodles like vermicelli (fideu in the Catalan language) were used instead of rice in the paella. The pasta is broken into short lengths and cooked in the paella pan. There are many variations of it, and it is optionally served with allioli sauce, the traditional Catalan garlic and olive oil sauce. Other examples of the cuisine: calçots—barbecued spring onions with romesco sauce—cured anchovies, embutidos y butifarras (cured meats and sausages), sparkling Cava wine and anything made with the local bolet mushrooms. Canelons, Spanish cannelloni, and Pa amb tomaquèt, bread rubbed with tomato (and sometimes with garlic and olive oil), and Escudella de carn d’olla, is a hearty Catalan stew, round out the list of “must trys” when you’re next in Barcelona.

‡Soccorat is the hard, crunchy rice crust that develops on the bottom of the pan from its proximity to the heat. Some people particularly enjoy it.
 
 

[1] Make frozen strawberry cheesecake pops to celebrate National Cheesecake Day (photos #1 and #3 © Philadelphia Cream Cheese).

[2] Have a frozen strawberry cheesecake experience without turning on the oven (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Cream cheese is an American invention. Cream cheese-based cheesecake owes its popularity to Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which launched in 1872. The brand promoted the recipe on its packages.

[4] Lime juice and zest add a second flavor note (photo © Lisa Fotios | Pexels).

It’s a heavy cream cheesecake with a sour cream topping that isn’t found often these days—probably because most people don’t want to take the extra step.

If you don’t want to bake any type of cheesecake, how about these Strawberry-Lime Cheesecake Pops from Philadelphia Cream Cheese?

They give you a summery cheesecake experience without turning on the oven.

Not all cheesecakes are sweet, by the way.

We love savory cheesecakes—basil, blue cheese, corn and provolone, lobster Gruyère, salmon and tuna. Serve one with cocktails, as an appetizer, or as the cheese course with a salad. They’re memorable!

> There are more cheesecake recipes below.

> There’s also fun cheesecake trivia below.

> The history of cheesecake.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY LIME CHEESECAKE POPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE a 3-ounce paper or plastic cup in each of the 12 muffin pan cups. Cut each of 3 strawberries into 4 slices; place them in the cups.

2. PLACE the remaining strawberries in a food processor. Add the cream cheese, lime zest, juice, and sugar; process until smooth. Spoon into a medium bowl.

3. BEAT the whipping cream in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into the prepared cups. Tap the cups on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

4. INSERT a wooden pop stick or a plastic spoon into the center of each cup. If they won’t stand up straight, freeze for an hour and try again.

5. FREEZE for 4 hours or until firm. Remove the frozen pops from cups just before serving.
 
 
CHEESECAKE TRIVIA

 
 
SCROLL DOWN FOR 18 DELICIOUS CHEESECAKE RECIPES!

We love cheesecake, and have published quite a few recipes over the years. Here are some of our favorites:

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Each country in Latin America has a national salsa, or sauce. In Argentina, it’s chimichurri (chih-mee-CHOO-ree).

Chimichurri sauce is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, white or red vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Oregano can be added. Cilantro can replace parsley in some regions; vegetable oil can replace the olive oil.

The original sauce is green from the parsley; later red versions add tomatoes, red bell peppers and/or hot chiles.

In beef-endowed Argentina, chimichurri is the steak sauce of choice, also used with other beef-based dishes and any grilled meats.

A recipe for chimichurri sauce follows and the recipe after that. Also see below:

How to create your signature chimichurri sauce.

The many ways to use chimichurri sauce.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

As one story goes, the name evolved from “Jimmy McCurry,” an Irishman who developed the recipe in Argentina. However, there is no written documentation of this.

Purportedly, McCurry was sympathetic to the cause of Argentine independence in the 19th century and served in a troop under the command of General Jasson Ospina. The sauce was popular but “Jimmy McCurry” was difficult for Argentineans to say, so it became “chimichurri” sauce (pronounced chimmy CHOO-ree).
 
Another theory is that the name comes from the Basque settlers who arrived in Argentina in the 19th century. According to grilling expert Steve Raichlen, the name of the sauce comes from the Basque term tximitxurri, loosely translated as “a mixture of several things in no particular order.” (Source: Raichlen, Steven, “Planet Barbecue!,” Workman Publishing Company. p. 159)

It’s easy to make chimichurri in a blender or food processor; but purists may want to make it the original way, with a mortar and pestle. We find that pesto made this way tastes better than food processor pesto, even when the exact same ingredients are used.

[2] Enjoy chimichurri with any grilled meat, lamb (in photo), pork, poultry, or fish (photo © D’Artagnan).

Ideally, make the chimichurri sauce a day in advance to allow the flavors to meld. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Ingredients For 1-1/2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a blade attachment. Process until finely chopped, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, about 1 minute in total.

2. ADD the oil in a steady stream, with the motor running. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse a few times to combine.

3. TRANSFER the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day, allowing the flavors to meld. Stir, taste and adjust seasonings before serving.
 

[3] This chimichurri sauce has been made elegant by puréeing. It’s served with a vegetarian dish, Grilled Halloumi And trumpet Mushrooms (photo © Gardenia Restaurant | NYC).

You can adding or substitute other ingredients to create a signature chimichurri:

Like Italy’s pesto, chimichurri is a bright green, herb-based, versatile sauce that you can use with:

 
Other ideas? Post them here.
 
 
> SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALSA IN OUR SALSA GLOSSARY.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Perhaps that’s why Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, created in 1938 to season the prime rib served at Lawry’s restaurant in Beverly Hills, has remained a prominent fixture on the spice rack in many households.

The blend of salt, herbs and spices (garlic, onion, paprika and turmeric, plus sugar—here’s the copycat Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Recipe) adds more flavor than salt alone.

Home cooks found that it worked on everything, from breakfast eggs to any grain, protein, starch or vegetable.
 
BUYING FLAVORED SALTS

Over the last decade, numerous specialty food artisans—Urban Accents, Saltworks and quite a few other—have created collections of seasoned salts, with a base of sea salt. Even McCormick has joined in, with 11 McCormick sea salt grinders from Chipotle to Sweet Onion.

Casina Rossa seasoned sea salts from
Italy—Porcini, Saffron, Edible Flowers,
and others, are available from Seasoned
Sea Salts. Photo by Naheed Choudhry |
THE NIBBLE.

The Fusion line of sea salts from Saltworks goes farther, with gourmet salts such as Black Truffle, Espresso, Ginger, Lemon, Lime, Maple, Matcha, Merlot, Sriracha, Sundried Tomato, Vanilla and White Truffle.

But at $15 or so per 3.5-ounce jar (more for pricier items like porcini and truffle), you might want to try blending your own with what you have on hand.

We’re addicted to truffle salts, and to Casa Rossa’s saffron salt. A pinch of salt lets us enjoy these two favorite flavors in everything from scrambled eggs to mashed potatoes and vinaigrette.

Unfortunately for us, it’s so costly to purchase dried saffron or truffles—two of the priciest ingredients in the world—that there’s no money to be saved by blending our own.

But there’s much more to blend than saffron and truffles.

It takes just five minutes to blend salt, herbs and spices in a spice grinder. You can make them on an ad hoc basis, or make larger batches to store and use as needed.

Pick A Salt

If you don’t have sea salt on hand, start with kosher salt or table salt. After you get the hang of blending, you can try more exotic salts, such as:

 
See our Salt Glossary for the different types of salts.
 
Pick Your Seasonings

 
Then, decide on ratios: which flavors do you want to be dominant, which flavors should be background hints.

Start with twice as much salt as other flavors, and even less of hot flavors. You may find, after making different blends, that you’re using less salt and more herbs/spices.
 
RECIPE: SAMPLE FLAVORED SALT BLEND

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well-combined. Working in batches, add the blend to a spice grinder and process into a fine powder. If you don’t have a spice blender, you can try a regular blender.

2. STORE the salt in an airtight container. Store away from heat and light (as all herbs and spices should be stored!).
 
If you want to make other blends but already have too much of homemade seasoned salt on hand, give it as gifts!
  

There are only a few days left of this year’s National Ice Cream Month. Here’s something a bit off the beaten track: an ice cream trifle. Is it a form of ice cream sundae or a variation of ice cream cake? Make it and take a vote.

Trifle is an English dessert dish made from layers of custard, diced fruit, syrup or fruit juice and cubes of sponge cake, topped with whipped cream. It was traditionally served in a footed glass bowl.

In QVC chef David Venable’s recipe, below, ice cream bars replace the custard and chocolate-covered pretzels replace the fruit and caramel takes over for the syrup.

Adapt the recipe as you like, for example, trading the pretzels for sliced strawberries, and exchanging the chocolate cake for pound cake or ladyfingers. Instead of caramel, we tried a version with custard sauce (crème anglaise).

David used Klondike bars in this recipe, easy to chop because there’s no stick. We prefer Magnum ice cream bars: better quality ice cream and chocolate coating, more flavor choices.

Ingredients

1. CUBE the cake first, then the ice cream bars. If using a fresh cake, freeze it first; it will be easier to cut. Freeze the cubes separately until ready to assemble.

2. CRUSH the chocolate-covered pretzels gently into smaller pieces. Don’t over-crush—you want small pieces, not dust. Reserve 2 ounces to decorate the top of the trifle.

3. PLACE 1/3 of the chocolate cake squares into a large trifle dish. Place 1/3 of the ice cream bar cubes on top, followed by 1/3 of the crushed chocolate-covered pretzels. Drizzle 1/4 of the caramel sauce over the pretzels and top with a 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat this order two more times, finishing with the whipped cream.

4. ADD the rest of the caramel sauce and top with the reserved crushed chocolate-covered pretzels. Freeze immediately. David suggests that before serving, you should let the trifle sit at room temperature for 3–4 minutes so the cake can thaw slightly. We like eating frozen cake (especially in small cubes), and brought the trifle straight to the table.