My introduction to Spanish cuisine took place in 1985 in an unexpected location: Chicago's Lincoln Park. Rich Melman, the visionary restaurateur behind Lettuce Entertain You, opened Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! on Halsted Street. It was the first and only Spanish restaurant in Chicago at that time and remained the only one for several years to come.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! is still thriving today, standing as a testament to Mr. Melman’s culinary leadership and the enduring appeal of Spanish food. I vividly recall my friends and I opening the menu to find completely unfamiliar dishes and ingredients: tapas, pintxos, Ibérico ham, empanadas, croquettes and of course, paella. Unsure of what to expect, we simply ordered whatever sounded best to us and what the server suggested and dug in. By the end of that extraordinary meal, we walked out deeply impressed by what a memorable experience it had been.
It wasn't until years later that I finally made my first journey to Spain. From the moment I stepped foot there, I only wished I had visited much sooner. I found myself completely spellbound by every aspect of Spanish culture from the awe-inspiring masterpieces in the Prado Museum and the breathtaking architecture of Gaudí to the time-honored tradition of siestas, the passion of flamenco, and, above all, the extraordinary food.
Day after day, I happily indulged in local delicacies like tortilla española, brandade-stuffed piquillo peppers, patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, crispy churros and rich crema catalana. Yet, while each of these classic dishes is truly remarkable and unforgettable, one meal rises above the rest as the ultimate global icon of Spanish gastronomy—at least in my eyes—and that is paella.
The dish takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire, paella being the word for a frying pan in both Catalan and the Valencian language and comes in three primary varieties: paella valenciana (made with chicken, rabbit, duck, and snails), paella de marisco (made with seafood), and paella mixta (made with meat and seafood). However, Valencians maintain that the authentic recipe is exclusively paella Valenciana.
To prepare traditional Paella, the dish is cooked in a wide, shallow steel pan over an open wood fire. Dried orange wood is the ideal fuel source, as it burns hot and steady while imparting a signature clean, smoky aroma. Because orange wood can be difficult to source in the United States, wood varieties such as oak, hickory, or pecan serve as suitable alternatives.
Mastering an authentic paella over open flames is notoriously difficult. It demands constant heat management to achieve the coveted crispy crust (socarrat) without scorching the pan. In my experience, improper rice texture whether undercooked or gummy is the most common flaw in mediocre paellas, a shortcoming I encountered frequently even across Spain. While overcooked meats or seafood can certainly detract from the meal, poorly prepared rice remains the far greater disappointment. In. My. Opinion.
A few months ago, I set out to make paella in our Chicago culinary center using The Gaucho. Preparing this dish on The Gaucho, Kalamazoo’s Argentine-style open-hearth grill, demands a completely distinct approach compared to our Hybrid Fire Grill or Echo Gas Grill, though the recipe adapts beautifully to both.
I often compare parrilla-style cooking on the Gaucho to a dance: it is a rhythmic, fluid experience driven by intuition, exact timing, and dynamic heat control. Rather than simply setting a temperature knob or closing a lid over charcoal or gas, this style keeps you fully active and adapting on your feet as you cook. In this case, that dance would be the Flamenco, obvs.
You don't just set a dial on The Gaucho; you have to actively manage elemental forces. You have to constantly read the wood to create high-heat zones for searing and low-heat zones for slow cooking. You control the temperature by physically raising or lowering the entire grilling surface. It requires a lot of intuition to know exactly how many inches the meat or vegetables or rice should be from the embers. Because there is no lid to trap heat, you are entirely dependent on radiant heat from below.
Because traditional Paella is prepared fully uncovered, an open-hearth grill like the Gaucho naturally aligns with classic technique. However, the rapid evaporation from open-air cooking can cause the rice to remain hard on top while scorching on the bottom.
Full disclosure: during my initial testing rounds, I struggled with unevenly cooked rice. It ended up burnt underneath and underdone on top. To counteract this rapid moisture loss, I adjusted my recipe by using a slightly higher stock-to-rice ratio, roughly 4:1 when working with Bomba or Calasparra varieties (which typically calls for 3:1 stock to rice). Although the extra stock helped, I still found that the rice was not cooking evenly, so I gave in and loosely tented the top with foil, which helped tremendously. The first few times you attempt this, you may have this issue too. Don’t give up!
To ensure excellent temperature control over intense open flames, I selected a heavy-duty black carbon steel pan instead of a standard paella pan. Even with the grates set higher, this setup provided heat stability and optimal conditions for developing socarrat, that prized, crispy rice crust along the bottom. To achieve the socarrat, you must resist the urge to stir the rice!
To build a rich foundation, I began by searing the chicken and chorizo directly in the pan with the grates set low, rendering out their flavorful fat. After rendering the flavorful fat from the meats, I sautéed the sofrito, which serves as the essential savory foundation for nearly every classic Spanish recipe. With that base established, I set the chicken aside to prevent overcooking, allowing it to finish later alongside the rice.
Now, let’s talk about the rice. As noted earlier, it is truly the star and foundational element of any authentic paella. The two most common varieties used are: Bomba rice and Calasparra rice. Every accompanying element, including the sofrito, rich stock, fragrant saffron, and tender meats or seafood, exists ultimately to infuse its flavors directly into the grains. To wrap up the process, delicate options like shrimp, clams, and mussels were gently folded in during the final minutes of cooking.
Is cooking paella over an open flame easy? Me temo que no! Yet as the old adage reminds us, great rewards require real effort and precious few dishes rival a flawlessly cooked paella. ¡Buen provecho!
