Wednesday, July 5, 2017

A Taste of Spain

I've been thinking about Spain lately...



It's been almost two years since me, Jess, and my hubby took our trip to Barcelona, and I'm missing the white sand beaches, winding cobblestone lanes, and delectable tapas. It truly is an enchanting city.







Click here to read about our trip to Barcelona in 2015. 

So to ease the travel longing, I decided to make a Spanish favorite for dinner tonight...paellaI started by chopping some fresh veggies and sauteed them until they were just a little charred on the outside.




Then I grilled a few chicken thighs and sauteed a half pound of fresh scallops in butter.



I made a spicy mix from red and black pepper, paprika, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder, and rubbed it over two Mississippi catfish fillets...

Okay, so I'm living in Georgia...I have to add a little Southern flare to everything I cook. ( ;  



After all that work I needed a refresher...



And then it was back to the stove. Mix it all together with some rice and a few more spices (can't forget the saffron)...



...and voilà! A little taste of Spain...and the U.S. South.



Barcelona might be an ocean away, but my kitchen is always open.



A favorite restaurant in Barcelona

Do you have any recipes that remind you of places you love?


~ Nel

26 comments:

Sandi said...

Such a beautiful rooftop! How can something so beautiful exist in our world?

And...

Paella!

OH! I love the stuff. I am convinced that when manna fell from Heaven it was paella. Ok, that kind of adds a weird zing to the story...but paella is divine!


Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

Oh goodness! This is one tasty dish and what a savvy and delicious way to cure those travel pangs!
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Jemma

R's Rue said...

Beautiful.

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

It looks a wonderful dish.

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Red Rose Alley said...

I've always wanted to try PAELLA! This looks so good. Glad you made it at home. I think I would love all the ingredients and spices, except for maybe the scallops. Love that picture of you in the alley. ; )

Carolina G. Ticala said...

Very nice pics! Thank for sharing! 👌👌👌

NanaDiana said...

Sounds delicious to me. I get hungry for good old Suthern' cooking sometimes...like grits!!! Hope you have a great week- xo Diana

Carla from The River said...

Yummy!
I enjoyed the photos too.
Have a great week!
Carla

Susie said...

Nel, I loved your pictures. You certainly like cooking more than I do. LOL. Your dinner looked and sounded great. I am more into one pot meals, he older I get. Blessings to you and your sweetie. xoxo, Susie
p.s. hello and love to your sweet mom

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Nel, what a fabulous recipe. It looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Great photos to go with your cooking too.
Happy July! xo

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Oh Nel, your photos of Barcelona are so inviting as well as that beautiful paella! I really like the photo of the alley! So charming. ♥

Rose said...

Oh, that dish looks so, so good!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Hola, Nel!

I am of Spanish heritage and Paella is one of my favorites! Let's see, the places I love are France and Italy (haven't been to Spain or Mexico, shame on me!) so fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables with OLIVE OIL remind me of my beloved South of France. Basil and Provençal seasonings remind me of my days in Nice, France. Hmmm, what shall I make tonight?

H*Peans said...

Yum.
My in-laws always made baked cheesy cauliflower -- a common dish to go with any Sunday roast, so it reminds me of England.

Pam said...

Oh my...that looks good. Spain, never been. Not traveled much out of the states except a couple of cruises.

Holly said...

Looks lovely Nel. I hope one day to travel outside of the states to my cultural origins of Italy & Mexico.

Karen said...

Beautiful! I visited Spain many years ago and the food and hospitality was amazing.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

I am sure your trip to Spain was fabulous. I can envision the beautiful city and buildings, plus the food. Paella sounds delicious. A dish i need to make soon. Happy summer Sheri. xo

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

Oh my that looks so yummy! I love that you 'made it your own' by adding the Southern touch. I've never been to Spain (my daughter did study abroad there and loved it) but I'd love to go someday as my husband's family is from there originally. We are Northerners who LOVE the South, especially St. Simons Island in Georgia and Charleston as well. So of course, whenever I have grits (ones that are TRUE southern grits that I've brought home to make) or gumbo, I think of and long for the day when we can live there full time!

TARYTERRE said...

beautiful memories of a charming place. you picked the perfect dish to remember it by.

Susan said...

Oh my, Nel. That looks lush. The trip sounded great, too. Susan

busyandfab said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe, I wanted to cook a really nice paella the one that reminds me of the Philippines where I grew up. Our dishes there were hugely influenced by Spanish so finding good Spanish food was not a problem. Nice to see your Barcelona trip too!

www.busyandfab.com

Aritha V. said...

Mjammie, it looks a delcious dish. Paella is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. Often prepared with fish. I am Dutch and our Dutch cuisine is traditionally quite simple. But regarding to snacks, nobody can beat the Dutch! ‘Bitterballen’ are the Dutch favorite snack. So when you visit The Netherlands, you can ask for them in almost every café. http://www.thedutchtable.com/2010/10/bitterballen-dutch-deep-fried-gravy.html

I love to see your Barcelona photos!!! Very nice. It's 1:45 hours by plane but it's not an area I'd like to go to. I would go to Scandinavia, ro see the northern lights, the fjords, the forests :-)

roughterrain crane said...

I love paella, too. Have a nice weekend.

LoveT. said...

Looks delicious :)

lovely Greetings <3

Tammie Lee said...

This looks and sounds so good. I have never made it, but look forward to giving it a try some days. Your photos of Spain are a joy to see too.