{"id":38257,"date":"2025-12-10T11:29:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T11:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/?p=38257"},"modified":"2025-12-10T11:31:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T11:31:39","slug":"how-i-learned-to-make-paella-in-barcelona-with-a-local-chef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/how-i-learned-to-make-paella-in-barcelona-with-a-local-chef\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Learned To Make Paella in Barcelona With a Local Chef"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I got to take a fun hands-on workshop to learn how to cook a three-course Spanish meal, including paella with a Catalan twist \u2014 right here in Barcelona. I couldn\u2019t believe how easy it was to make! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, I\u2019ll share what learning to make paella was like and how I even helped make Barcelona a better place while doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why take a cooking class in Barcelona<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Making<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever traveled to a new place and wished you could recreate all the delicious food you tried after you returned home? If you\u2019re like me, the answer is yes! Food is one of the best ways to get to know a culture, and learning how to prepare traditional dishes gives you more than just a taste of a place \u2014 it gives you a deeper understanding of its locals, ingredients, and cooking techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what you\u2019ll get when you take this hands-on cooking class<\/a> at Mesclad\u00eds in Barcelona. Here, a local chef not only introduces you to Spanish cuisine, but also the specific flavor profile of Catalonia. But this special cooking class isn\u2019t just about eating and bringing home recipes you can impress your friends with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mesclad\u00eds<\/a> is a nonprofit and Barcelona-based restaurant that\u2019s on a mission to provide essential training and career opportunities to residents from marginalized communities, especially with migrant and refugee backgrounds. These hands-on cooking classes are one of the many ways they support this mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Group<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My class was led by Chef Diana, who specializes in gastronomic experiences that introduce people to the flavors of Colombia, the Caribbean, and, of course, Catalonia. Diana\u2019s passion for the food we were preparing was clear, and she made sure we all had a job to do in the preparation of the different dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I know you\u2019re waiting for me to answer the most important question: What did we cook? Let\u2019s dig into what was on the menu! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking our Catalan meal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Chef<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To help us better understand the food of Spain, Diana shared how each of the dishes we were making were tied to a different region, each one taking immense pride in their cultural cuisine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia, but the paella we were making is originally from Valencia. Diana\u2019s \u201cCatalan spin\u201d on the dish was to add botifarra (\u201cbutifarra\u201d in Spanish), an important sausage to the region that\u2019s typically eaten on its own or used for cooking fava beans. The traditional Valencian paella is made with chicken, rabbit, duck, and snails, and I\u2019m sure that anyone from Valencia would lose their mind if they knew we were making their famous dish with sausage. But when in Barcelona, eat as the Catalans eat! <\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\"Guests\n\t\t\t\"Group\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat if cooking a meal could help change lives?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Barcelona Cooking Class for Social Good<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u20ac80<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

Of the three courses, the crema Catalana (\u201cCatalan cream\u201d in Catalan) is the one that actually originated from the region. Combined with the paella and gazpacho, which originates from the south, our meal was a tour of the flavor profiles of Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First course: Gazpacho<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Pouring<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I took this cooking class on a humid October Saturday in Barcelona, which made it the perfect weather for gazpacho, a cold tomato soup that\u2019s believed to have originated in Andalucia. This cold drinkable soup is simple to make and even simpler to eat when the weather is too hot to have the will to do anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the gazpacho, we diced tomato, cucumber, red and green pepper, onion, and garlic, and used an immersion blender that I practically had to stand on my toes in order to crush the cubed vegetables placed in a strainer over a large bowl to extract the liquid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Guests<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once we had the broth for the soup, we added salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar from Jerez in Andalucia that smelled like Catholic church wine. If we wanted a slightly richer and creamier cold soup, we could have added a few pieces of bread to make it Salmorejo, which is also a recipe from southern Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drank our gazpacho as we continued making our meal. I added a lot of extra black pepper like I was drinking a Bloody Mary. We also dug into the vegetable scraps covered with olive oil with some toasted day-old bread \u2014 nothing goes to waste in Chef Diana\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second course: Paella<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Chef
Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interesting fact about paella \u2014 it refers to both the dish and the pan it\u2019s cooked in. Diana had a 15-inch pan on hand, but pans can be as large as 30 inches, she said. The word paella comes from the old Valencian (a language similar to Catalan) word for \u201cpan,\u201d and Valencia is known as the birthplace of the quintessential rice dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically a simple lunch for farmers, the dish was made with rice and whatever ingredients were readily available. The traditional Valencian paella includes tomatoes, onions, snails, duck, rabbit, and chicken, but today there are many different paellas to enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Butifarra
Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To put a Catalan spin on our paella, Diana had delicious butifarra that we sliced into coins to add. Combined with arborio rice (an Italian rice used for risotto), sofrito (our flavor base of sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato), eggplant, zucchini, and spring onion, the paella had an unmistakable Mediterranean flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the rice was crispy at the bottom of the pan, it was time to eat, though we didn\u2019t eat it the traditional way \u2014 straight out of the pan with our own wooden spoons that we brought to the feast, like the Valencian farmers of the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Third course: Crema Catalana<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you were to confuse crema Catalana with the, arguably more popular, French dessert cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e, I couldn\u2019t blame you. Based on looks alone, they\u2019re both a custard dish with burnt sugar on top. But to paraphrase the dessert-inspired cliche, the proof really is in the pudding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chef
Credit: Maggie Blaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The major differences between crema Catalana and cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e are in their preparation and flavor profile. The Catalan custard is made with milk thickened on the stovetop, while France\u2019s version is made with cream and baked in a water bath. Traditionally, cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e is flavored with vanilla, but crema Catalana is typically sweetened with cinnamon and citrus zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rind<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The custard came together quickly after whisking the egg yolks and combining them with the milk and sugar on the stovetop. And the joy of cooking sweet treats in the kitchen is, of course, sneaking a taste before it\u2019s ready \u2014 none of us could resist swiping a finger against the custard-coated mixing spoon to taste it before being transformed on the stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we did the crucial final step: burning the sugar until it becomes a sheet of glass you need to crack with a spoon to reach the custard underneath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bonding experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then it was time for the grand finale \u2014 setting down to eat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often travel on my own, so I love taking tours to socialize as much as learning something new about a culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With most tours I\u2019ve been on, you get to talk a little bit with fellow travelers, but the Mesclad\u00eds cooking class is a real bonding experience. I was never just chopping vegetables for gazpacho or combining egg yolks and milk for the crema Catalana \u2014 I was asking other people in the class about their lives back home and what they like about Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUncover culinary and cultural traditions amid historic and modern markets<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Barcelona Markets Tour<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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And for solo travelers like myself, what\u2019s great about the class is that you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re sitting at a table where everyone else has a travel partner but you, which can sometimes happen on a food tour. Diana ensured that we cooked as a group and sat down to eat as the mini community we\u2019d created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more of a peek behind the scenes, here\u2019s a video from another traveler who took this class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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