This month, we spent 4 weeks travelling all over Spain to source the best Spanish Products
Below is a map of the places we visited.
Spain Trip
We are now importing Spanish Beer, Spanish Wine, Spanish Cider, Spanish Meats, Spanish Oils & Vinegars, Spanish Spices, Spanish Tinned Seafood, Spanish Anchovies, Spanish Chocolate, Spanish Rice and lots more..
Spanish Anchovies are considered to be the absolute best Anchovies money can buy. Before shipping these quality products the factory has to produce a Veterinary Certificate for Export. This is because they are NOT a cured product, they are a semi-conserved product.
When shopping for anchovies in Spain you will find them displayed in fridges as they need to be stored at a consistent temperature between 5ºC and 12ºC. Do NOT buy Anchovies that have been stored on Supermarket shelves, as you cannot guarantee the quality of the Anchovy.
Be very careful, many Anchovies say “Produce of Spain” but the Anchovy is imported cured from South America.
We toured the factory at Laredo and witnessed the care and manual effort that was taken to bring you the best quality Spanish Anchovy and we know these fish come from the Cantabrian sea, as we saw the fresh produce arrive.
Spanish Anchovy
Cook at Home Paella launched a new look website today, with online shop, a booking system and calculator and much, much more. The company has seen a huge growth in Spanish Food and felt it was important to launch a new look website, as the previous website was 3 years old. We hope you like, it… feedback please..
Calasparra rice is very highly regarded amongst chef’s in Spain and around the world, yet Calasparra rice makes up on a very small proportion of all the rice grown in Spain.
Rice grown in Calasparra is unique, as the paddy fields in which the rice grows is irrigated by channels built in Spain centuries ago by the Moors and the Romans. The constant flow of cold mountain water in the paddy fields ensures a constant supply of fresh cold water.
Because the water is cold, unlike the paddy fields elsewhere in Spain where rice is cultivated in flat paddy fields by the sea, the rice matures much slower, resulting in a much harder grain rice which contains less moisture and as a results can absorb more moisture when cooking, making it ideal for Paella.
We can offer both Calasparra Rice (Sollana) and Bomba Rice which we beleive to be the BEST rice available in New Zealand – see our website to purchase this amazing Spanish Rice
Paella Pab Gift Pack
Paella Gift Pack – worth over $100+GST with FREE Apron
The team at Cook at Home Paella have put together this great little gift pack
Limited numbers so order whilst stocks last.
Bomba Paella Rice from Calasparra
There are two kinds of rice recommended for paella. They are Bomba and Sollana. Both are a roundish short grain rice. Sollana is often called Calasparra after the area it is produced.
Whilst Paella originates from the region of Valencia, the best rice is grown in the neighbouring province of Murcia and more specifically Calasparra.
Calasparra rice is very highly regarded amongst chef’s in Spain and around the world, yet Calasparra rice makes up on a very small proportion of all the rice grown in Spain.
Rice grown in Calasparra is unique, as the paddy fields in which the rice grows is irrigated by channels built in Spain centuries ago by the Moors and the Romans. The constant flow of cold mountain water in the paddy fields ensures a constant supply of fresh cold water.
Because the water is cold, unlike the paddy fields elsewhere in Spain where rice is cultivated in flat paddy fields by the sea, the rice matures much slower, resulting in a much harder grain rice which contains less moisture and as a results can absorb more moisture when cooking, making it ideal for Paella.
Any rice produced in the Calasparra region is regarded as the best for Paella, however Bomba is the superior rice. Bomba is able to absorb more liquid yet still keep itsform, with the grains remaining separatewhen cooked.
The head chef at Cook at Home Paella, Jose Luis spent some time recently with Annabel Langbein, sharing a few ideas on cooking an authentic Spanish Paella in preparation for her for her new TV show and book “Simple Pleasures”, resulting in a welcome testimonial “Thank you so much Jose for introducing us to the pleasures of true Paella”. We also supplied Annabel with the Paella Pans and cooking equipment.
The book is available nationwide from the Monday 24th September 2012
Simple Pleasures – Annabel Langbein cooks Paella
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