By Sue Gray / SPECIAL

Paella [pä-?l'?] – Does the idea of learning how to prepare this international dish from Spain intrigue you? How about surprising your dinner guests next time with a pitcher of sangria and a beautiful seafood and meat rice dish? Well, Barrington Hall last Tuesday was just the place to try your hand at making an impressive and delicious dish from the Valencia region of Spain.

Chef John Wilson has been hosting cooking classes at Roswell’s historic Barrington Hall for several seasons, so this fall when I saw that his class included paella, sangria and tapas, I decided it was time to learn how to make paella and create a true sangria. Several times a year Chef John hosts a series of classes that run two hours for a group of 6 – 10 “students.” One may take all three classes or just pick the one that interests you the most. The well-known chef, a resident of Roswell, has an extensive background in many areas of cooking, working in NYC at the famous Four Seasons restaurant and several years ago for the Fernbank Museum. He is a graduate of CIA, the famous Culinary Institute of America, so we were definitely going to be in very competent hands for an evening of cooking.

Our group of 6 was greeted by Chef John who briefly reviewed for us the history of paella and discussed the ingredients that we were going to be using. The table was set in Barrington Hall’s remodeled kitchen and we were all delighted that we were going to be sitting down to a bountiful meal at the end of our class. In addition to the paella and sangria, our appetizer would be herbed bar nuts flavored with rosemary and a dessert of the classic Spanish flan.

We started off, all of us gathered around the stove, to watch Chef John make the caramel syrup for the bottom of the flan. The secret was patience and a good eye able to determine when the sugar/water/lemon juice mixture had begun to bubble all across the pan, not just along the edges. At that point, when the desired color was reached, we had completed the first step toward the perfect flan dessert. After the custard was made and poured into a flat pan on top of the caramel, the dessert would need to be refrigerated for 6 hours. Fortunately for us, Chef John had made one the day before, so our evening’s dessert was already made.

We then gathered around the kitchen island to prepare the fruit for the sangria. Each of us had our own cutting board and knives and were given various fruits to cut up and then soak in a sugar, triple sec and brandy liquid. At this point – 30 minutes into the class – we were all anxious for a big glass of that sangria. But, the fruit needed to marinate – oops, that’s macerate (as Chef John advised us), so we had to start chopping and dicing for the paella first. Then it would be time for cocktails. Once again, patience was in play. Incidentally, it turns out that marinating is for meats and macerating is for fruits. We were learning something new every few minutes in this class.

Paella has many different versions using a variety of ingredients, and various regions of Spain are partial to their own favorites. Tonight, ours was a traditional paella which included chicken, Chorizo sausage, mussels, shrimp and clams – all fresh; we were working with a “top chef” here, so every ingredient was as fresh as could be. In addition to the meat and seafood, we added chopped onions, green and red peppers, peas, Nicoise olives, which we pitted, and chicken stock. A tomato concasse is part of this dish and Chef John taught us the proper technique to prepare this – blanching, peeling and removing the seeds.

A key ingredient to the paella is saffron, which gives the paella it’s beautiful golden color. The base of the dish is a medium-grain rice, and our chef discussed with us the various types of rice and the necessity for not using a long grain rice. We all took various parts of the paella to chop, dice and saute and eventually each of the parts of the paella were added at the right time. Using a large paella pan, the dish is cooked on top of the stove and from time to time is covered to cook the ingredients slowly.

Meanwhile it was time (finally!) to break out the sangria fruit, add the red wine and toast our efforts in the kitchen. Earlier we had prepared the almonds for the appetizer by chopping the herbs (rosemary & thyme) and mixing them with a beaten egg white and other ingredients. We learned h­ow to properly shave the herbs from their stems and how to dice the herbs to the correct texture – overchopping them can make them bitter, it seems. Another secret learned from our chef. The almonds were then spread on a large baking sheet and placed in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. After they cool, the coating on the almonds crisps and they are even more delicious than warm from the oven – a wonderful complement to our sangria “cocktail hour.”

With the meal fully prepared, we filled our plates with the bounty of the paella pan, piled high with a beautiful array of rice, seafood, and fresh vegetables. This is a dish that you can create according to the recipe or you can improvise based on what you may have in your fridge. Chef John does advise, however, to include the Chorizo sausage and the chicken, as they are a staple part of the paella. Setting the filled paella pan in the center of the table will not only make a beautiful centerpiece, but will invite your dinner guests to help themselves to this interesting and healthy dinner that almost everyone will enjoy. They will marvel at your originality and talent in the kitchen. Much of the meal can be prepared ahead of time, which makes entertaining a group much easier.

Chef John Wilson will continue to offer these cooking classes at Barrington Hall, and information on the classes can be found on the city of Roswell website. The last of this series is November 17th. The menu will feature a Tuscan evening of cooking. Information can be obtained at www.roswellgov.com. For reservations and information, call 770-640-3855.