We went over to some friends’ house last night for paella. The husband honed his skills while living in Spain the past three years, watching closely and learning from the locals. He purchased two pans to entertain the folks back here in the neighborhood and had both giant pans going when we arrived (and I mean giant- probably about 20″ in diameter). Aromas of shrimp, chicken, chorizo, and saffron billowed out into the chilly night air to mix with the wood smoke from the firepit.
He and his wife had purchased a bunch of to-go containers to send home leftovers with the small crowd of villagers, thinking there was no way we would get through two full pans of paella. The adults got firsts, seconds, and even thirds, and the pans remained somewhat full. The youngsters, ranging in age from 12 to 19 (several college freshman were home on spring break), originally hung back, busy chatting, jumping on a trampoline, and playing video games. Well, they crushed it. By the time they had their way with the pans, a few lonely grains of rice lay on the edges of the pans.
No to-go containers made it out of the sleeve last night.
My Corner of the Village 