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Paella Party/Concert -

We're having a paella party/concert and you're invited. Cooking Spanish Paella is an art form as well as a culinary delight when performed by a master and we have that covered. It can also be an entertaining social event in and of itself. If you have eaten paella but have not not had the pleasure of seeing it constructed, you have not truly experienced the finer aspects of paella and paella presentation. For this party on the patio, preparation is half the fun as the construction will be in full view of the party-goers. Our good friend Glenn Glover from Austin will be doing the cooking honors and he is no novice. When Rebecca and I hosted the Paella festivals in Austin, Glenn competed in and later cooked for the festival that grew into an all-day event with more than twenty contestants and over 600 attendees on our farm. For this party, attendees will be limited to fifty.

So, what is paella? Paella is an internationally-known rice-based dish from Spain. It originated in the fields of Valencia on the eastern coast of Spain. Today paella is made in every region of Spain, using just about any kind of ingredient that goes well with rice. There are as many versions of paella as there are cooks. It may contain chicken, pork, shellfish, fish, eel, squid, beans, peas, artichokes and peppers, to name a few popular ingredients. Saffron, the spice that also turns the rice a wonderful golden color is an essential part of the dish.
To prepare paella, there are three basic rules to follow.

Cook over a fire. It's usually prepared over an open fire for competitions and festivals as it was at the Ponderassa in years past. Our Sacred Grounds version will be cooked over a gas-fired paella burner in our open-air patio.
Use a paella pan. For our event, we'll use a 36-inch paella pan and a couple of smaller pans for those with special diets: vegetarian and no shell fish.
Use Bomba rice, an almost round grain rice also from the Eastern coast of Spain.
In our paella party, there will also be appropriate side dishes to round out the menu.

And, finally, no paella party dinner would be complete without music. We have that covered beautifully with the best Spanish Guitar concert you're likely to hear this side of anywhere. Gerardo Perez Capdevila has prepared a program especially for this event which is listed in the attached flyer/poster. He'll play an acoustic guitar program of beautiful and fiery Spanish/classical music in the style of Andres Segovia.

Don't delay getting your tickets in advance. Our patio and dining room on Sunday, October 22 will be open to only ticket holders from 3:00 PM, when preparation starts, until closing. Cooking will start around 4:30 PM and the party will last until it's over. As is the case in most live-cooking events, times are approximate so come early and stay late.

We advise getting tickets early. Advance tickets are available for $40/person at: www.EventBrite.com and are available now.

Will & Rebecca