Here's Donna Gelb in her New York kitchen with my cookbook, Flavors of al-Andalus. She’s the one who wrote those glowing words "vibrant recipes that surprise and deliver," that appear on the back cover of my cookbook. She's preparing to make Vegetable Paella, one of the recipes from the book.
Donna was on my select list of persons who received the advance (digital) edition of the book. Besides being a cookbook author herself she is also a board member of the Culinary Historians of New York. So I thought she might be especially interested in a cookbook with a historical angle (those flavors of al-Andalus come from Moorish Spain, 711 CE to 1492). Here’s what she wrote:
I’ve cooked with Donna in her New York apartment, where we prepared paella for family and guests—two paellas, actually, as we had a vegetarian amongst us. And she has joined me in my kitchen in Spain on several occasions.
We met when Donna was exploring the idea of writing a cookbook/memoir about being Jewish in Franco-era Spain.
As a teenager she lived with her family in Madrid where her father had business interests. She remembers one Christmas season, her father was given one of Spain’s esteemed hams. Not to be enjoyed by a Jewish family, the ham was gifted to their housekeeper, Conchi. Donna recalls another occasion when the family was celebrating a Passover seder in a restaurant cellar* while barefoot penitents dragged chains past the windows during Semana Santa processions.
*It was not until 1967 that Spain passed the law of religious freedom that allowed non-Catholics to practice their religions. In 1968 the ministry of justice repealed the Alhambra decree of 1492 that expelled Jews from Spain. My cookbook, Flavors of al-Andalus, has many recipes attributed to the Sephardic Jews of Moorish Spain.
Donna Gelb, food writer and recipe developer, is a native New Yorker. Her interest in food began as a teenager growing up in Spain, Switzerland, and England. She trained in New York at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, which led to regular recipe testing for The New York Times Magazine, and a column in The New York Daily News. She collaborated with Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky on the award-winning cookbook Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way (Artisan 2009); Mallmann on Fire (Artisan 2014), and Green Fire (Artisan 2022.), and with Ilene Rosen on Saladish (Artisan 2019) which won the James Beard Cookbook Award for Vegetable-Focused Cooking. An active member of the Culinary Historians of New York since 2003, she has served on the board since 2008.
Here is the recipe for Vegetable Paella that Donna noted in her blurb. I like this recipe because it’s so adaptable—suitable for vegetarian guests and, with sides of sautéd shrimp, clams, and chicken legs, for those who are not vegetarian as well.
Vegetable Paella
Arroz de Verduras
The Arabs introduced the cultivation of rice in Spain, but did they invent paella? Perhaps they invented the precursor of paella. We know that most rice dishes of that era before modern milling were more like porridge, sweet or savory, made with pounded grains. A few were made with whole grains combined with meat and vegetables.
By strict Valencian terms, this recipe does not qualify as paella. It is simply un arroz, a rice dish. It’s best with seasonal vegetables, but good with frozen vegetables, too. The favas and peas don’t need as long to cook as the artichokes, so add them when the rice is half-cooked.
In Spanish homes, vegetable paella might have bits of fish such as bacalao (salt cod), a handful of clams, pieces of squid, or a few shrimp added for flavor. If you are not vegetarian, you could use chicken or fish stock instead of vegetable. If you are using a well-seasoned stock, you may not need salt, but if using water, add about 1½ teaspoons salt.
A picada sauce of ground almonds, garlic, and parsley, spooned on the finished rice, adds a burst of flavor.
Makes 4 servings
For the paella:
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 small head garlic, top ½ inch sliced off
2 (4-ounce) artichokes
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
¼ cup hot water
4½ cups vegetable stock or water
1 bay leaf
1½ cups medium-grain rice
Fine salt to taste
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup shelled fava beans
1 cup shelled peas
Lemon slices, for serving
For the picada topping:
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
A few fresh mint leaves (optional)
¼ cup toasted almonds
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon grated lemon peel
To make the paella, heat the oil in a paella pan or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic head to the pan and fry until the onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Snap off the outer leaves from the artichokes, pare the stems, and cut the artichokes in half. Add the artichokes to the pan, cut sides down. Add the wine.
Place the saffron in a small cup and add the hot water. Let it infuse for 5 minutes. Add the saffron water, 3 cups of the stock, and the bay leaf to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir in the rice. Add fine salt to taste and the pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, turning the artichokes and head of garlic occasionally.
Add the fava beans and peas. Add another 1 cup stock. Stir once to mix, then do not stir the rice again. Cook until the rice is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes more, adding the remaining ¼ cup stock if the pan looks dry. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the head of garlic and reserve. Discard the bay leaf. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or a kitchen towel. Let the rice sit for 5 to 10 minutes while preparing the picada topping.
Extract 4 cloves from the head of cooked garlic. Place them in a mortar or mini food processor with the parsley, mint (if using), almonds, and coarse salt. Grind to a paste. Add the oil and grated lemon peel and process well. Thin the paste with 2 to 3 tablespoons water.
To serve, spoon some of the picada topping on top of the rice and vegetables. Serve the remainder in a small bowl. Garnish the rice with lemon slices.
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| Vegetable Paella with optional shrimp. |
More with Donna Gelb:
Saladadish, a prize-winning book of salads.
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FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain, published by Hippocrene Books, is available from your favorite bookseller. For more about what’s in the book, see Meatballs with Backstory.
This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking.
Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books) $39.95 hardcover.
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