IAN & SPAIN

Mercadona, the supermarket chain is constantly adapting to the new demands of consumers by bringing out new products or should I say bringing out products to make life easier and distance ourselves from the more time-consuming traditional cooking. Every day you see more ready-made meals available, obviously, they are way behind the UK in this area but that's a good thing!

There are many people who, through social networks, echo the new products that they bring to the market by trying them and leaving reviews or videos about them. Before it was with beauty products and now, more and more, people are encouraged to share videos on their personal accounts on social networks where they cook a recipe with the products they have purchased at Mercadona. I even think I have done so in this very blog.

However recently the Masterchef finalist, Toni Carceller, published a video on his Tik Tok account cooking a Valencian paella with a new stock that Mercadona has released called “stock for meat paella over firewood”.

After explaining the process of making a Valencian paella with this stock, the Masterchef finalist, admits that "it is one of the best paella stocks" he has tried and recommends it to all those who want to achieve similar results with the minimum effort.

The product is from the Hacendado brand, Mercadon's own house brand. It comes in a 950ml glass bottle, where its properties are best preserved, and is priced at 3 euros. So one bottle would be ideal for 3 people - approx 300g of rice when using normal Senia round rice.

The ingredients contained are the following: water, chicken, crushed tomato, extra virgin olive oil, salt, sweet paprika and rosemary leaf (infused). In Toni Carceller's opinion, the stock did lack a bit of salt, which could be added just after adding the stock.

I must admit I was intrigued by the product and thought I would give it a try - I know, I would normally shy away from these "make-your-life-easier" products but what caught my eye was "over firewood" and was curious to know if they had managed to capture the firewood flavour or not. I have to admit that they did, I was quite impressed. I would really have to recommend this as a great solution for a small paella, such as a paella for two or for three. Any larger and I think I would do it myself, but for a quick and simple result, it really does hit the mark.

There is also a fumet for a seafood paella or fideua which really does give you an excellent result and takes all the hassle out of making a seafood stock. 

No excuses for not making paella now, even just for two people!

Enjoy!

@tonimchef6 🥘Probamos el caldo para paella de Mercadona 🥘 #recetastiktok #recetas #paella #paellavalenciana #paellas #paellalovers #gastronomia #recetas #recipesoftiktok #tiktoker #tiktokviral #fyp ♬ DESPECHÁ - ROSALÍA

The 20th of September is World Paella Day. This day is in recognition of the most universal dish Spanish gastronomy has given to the world. A day in which the Valencians share their great invention with everyone around the globe, putting aside differences and disputes with techniques or ingredients. World Paella Day simply put, celebrates a meal of humble Valencian origin that has transcended all borders. With millions and millions of yearly searches on the internet and its global consumption, according to the organisers and tasteatlas.com amongst other sources, it has scaled the ranks to become the fourth most important dish on the planet, only beaten by Sushi, Ramen and Tacos. Today being World Paella Day, all 'versions' of the Paella are accepted whatever ingredients you use, but tomorrow or the day when you happen to read this article, I can assure you they won't. The Spanish or the Valencians will return to their defensive position of protecting the original Paella - The Paella Valenciana.

There are hundreds of recipes for paella but I am amazed at how many just give the wrong ingredients and techniques. Yes, this is a dish that appears simple and straightforward but has its complications, as I am sure those who have tried making one for the first time quickly found out: “It hasn’t got much flavour” or “The rice is all sticky” or “is that the right colour?” or maybe all of them. I have seen dozens of recipes for paellas on the internet and I am amazed at how few follow the traditional recipe and don’t give straightforward instructions. I’ve eaten a lot of paellas in and outside of Valencia and I can assure you the story changes when you leave Valencia. People start getting creative and putting ingredients in that a Valencian wouldn’t dream of using, not even on World Paella Day, like peas, chorizo, sausage, onion and even carrots! This is not the traditional dish and therefore cannot be called a Paella! To put it simply a Valencian would call it "Rice with Things" - "Arroz con Cosas..."

It is just not done like that in Valencia and let’s not forget, Valencia is the home of the Paella. The recipe has been around for well over 500 years and yet many still consider the “Paella Mixta” (mixed paella: meat and seafood and God knows what else) to be traditional Paella. The Mixta was a recent creation for the foreign tourists and started back in the ’60s with the tourist boom, it’s not very clear why it started but probably Mum and Dad couldn’t agree on which paella they wanted; “meat or seafood?” and asked for a mixed one! Who knows? But this “version” is only really served in tourist regions and is very popular in the Balearic isles, precisely for this reason; the tourists. So it is very rare to see a Spaniard and definitely not a Valencian ordering a Paella Mixta and you’ll be hard fetched to find a restaurant that serves one in Valencia.

So all that said, if you consider entertaining Spanish people with Paella, do not serve a Mixta! Surf'n Turf doesn't work with this dish.

So what ingredients should be in a Paella?

The authentic “Paella Valenciana” has a seal of guarantee of origin and quality (Denominación de origin), which identifies the 10 basic ingredients that it must have :

Olive Oil, Chicken, Rabbit, Ferraura (wide green runner beans), Garrafon (local large white bean),Tomato, Water , Salt, Saffron and Rice (Valencian round rice).

These are the basic ingredients for the orthodox paella, nothing else. However, some local variations are admitted under the name “Paella Valenciana”, which have come from local areas within Valencia, such as Benicarló where they historically add artichokes. Duck is used as well as other ingredients in the L’Albufera, snail, sweet paprika and rosemary are also admitted but nothing else.

If you fancy giving it a go, here is my guide to paella making: Click Here

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you don't have time to make it yourself, or would rather simply try the 'Real Deal' here are a few of my recommendations if you happen to be in the Valencia area, all range from 20-40 euros / per person depending on the wine, but these aren't just restaurants, they are wonderful places to spend the afternoon and enjoy a lazy long lunch in good company.

These first two restaurants are run by the Rafael Soler Orient so share the same philosophy. He is the son of the founders of La Genuina in Pinedo, also listed below and considered one of the classic restaurants in Valencia, all are fantastic restaurants.

- Castellar, Valencia (Next to Pinedo)

https://restaurantealqueriadelbrosquil.com/

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ALQUERIA DEL POU -  Valencia capital (Next to the Science and Arts Museum)

http://alqueriadelpou.com

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LA GENUINA - Pinedo (Next to Valencia : 10 min)

https://www.restauranteslagenuina.com/

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CASA SALVADOR - Cullera (40 km south of Valencia on the coast)

Must order table on the terrace. It's preferable to avoid Sundays here, it gets ever so busy and can be slow.

http://www.casasalvador.com

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The results of a study announced recently into the possible treatment methods for osteoporosis have found that olive oil could play a role in both the future development of drugs as well as in the dietary requirements of patients. Investigations across various fields of medicine have even gone as far as detecting a molecule in Extra Virgin Olive Oil that works as a barrier for sexually transmitted HIV.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterised by a decrease in bone mass, which in turn causes the architecture of bone tissue to become fragile. This can then increase the possiblities of fractures, making even the slightest of knocks potentially fatal for sufferers.

The disease is recognised as being particularly prevalent among postmenopausal women for whom a decrease in the production of estrogen then weakens bone structures and most commonly affects the ribs, wrists, and hips. For this study, scientists were particularly interested in how a supplementation of olive oil could be used to help women in this category.

Tests were carried out on rats showing comparable conditions to female human menopause, with one group being treated orally with olive oil. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected and tested for levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitrates.

The results found that that rats not treated with olive oil showed a significant decrease in calcium levels and a significant increase in plasma ALP, MDA, and nitrates levels.

Olive oil supplementation proved to be beneficial and was found to both attenuate these changes and to positively affect the thickness of bones.

Diet plays a significant role in maintaining healthy bones for which it is important to eat foods rich in calcium and Vitamin D, as well as those containing minerals including: phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, fluoride, and copper. Doctors often recommend foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, and grains to improve mineral levels, while cod liver oil and fish such as tuna and salmon are considered to be good sources of Vitamin D. When it comes to improving levels of calcium, dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and fortified milk are very often recommended but olive oil can also be a good source. In one cup (216mg), olive oil contains 2.2mg of Calcium, as well as necessary minerals such as Iron (1.2mg), Potassium (2.2mg), and sodium (4.3mg).

Olive oil will not be the only solution in the continuing fight against postmenopausal osteoporosis but having performed well in the lab, scientists have concluded that it is a very promising candidate for future treatments of the disease.

The authors of the study are Dr. Nermine K Saleh and Dr. Hanan A Saleh, Ain Shams University, Egypt. - Study: Olive Oil effectively mitigates ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats