After the inaugural Miami GP, the teams have now travelled back to Europe to the sunny city of Barcelona in Spain. With a tense battle at the top of the championship forming between Ferrari and Red Bull and this year’s new regulations in place, this week’s Spanish GP could be one of the most exciting ones we’ve seen in years. Set at the “Circuit De Barcelona – Catalunya”, this track sits less than half an hour away from the coastal city of Barcelona, a beautiful city filled with art, culture and just as importantly for myself, amazing food. With an array of different dishes I could have chosen to cook this week from the famous city, I decided to go for perhaps its most well-known dish…paella. This rice-based dish uses delicious stock and a variety of different ingredients depending on which region of Spain you’re in, but for this recipe, I’ve decided to use chicken and prawns when cooking my tasty dish.
How did the first ever Miami GP go?
After years of both the city of Miami and F1 themselves pushing for a race to take place in the coastal city, both parties finally got their wish this year as we got to see the inaugural Miami GP last time out…but just how did it go?
After some interesting practice sessions where a couple drivers ended up in the wall, by the time qualifying arrived, it seemed as though most of the drivers had finally got a grip of how the track was. With a lot of pressure on both Leclerc and Verstappen to achieve pole position for the race, it was the Monegasque Ferrari driver who pipped his Dutch rival by the time qualifying was over and to make it even sweeter, it was his Spanish teammate, Sainz, who would be lining up alongside him on the front row for the race.
Sadly for the Spaniard, as the cars set of at lights out, the charging Verstappen had already stolen second place from the Ferrari driver, who could now set his sights on hunting down Leclerc in the lead. With Red Bull still having superior straight-line speed to that of Ferrari’s, it didn’t take long until Verstappen was able to make an easy pass on Leclerc on lap 9, giving the Dutchman the lead of the race, which is where he remained until the chequered flag fell.
For all the viewers watching at home though, Max’s pass was where the excitement finished though as not a lot else happened in the race after that. With Perez suffering an engine issue, meaning he was unable to attack Sainz for 3rd, and much of the rest of the field stuck in a DRS train, the action grounded to a standstill. That was until Gasly collided with Norris towards the end of the race, bringing out the full safety car.
With just over 15 laps to go, the action was well underway again as we saw Leclerc try multiple times to retake the lead from Verstappen but sadly for the Monegasque, he just didn’t have quite enough to get the job done. A similar battle happened just behind the two as Perez chased after Sainz again and almost made a move on the Spaniard, however the Mexican overcommitted and locked up, allowing Sainz to keep his 3rd place position. Further down the field, there was late action as well but I think for most of the viewers that watched, the long stint in the middle of the race had set the impression for the overall race…a bit dull.
Although it may have been a bit dull, I do feel that with just a few minor tweaks to the track, the racing there could be improved massively next year and considering it was the city’s first GP, I think it’s only right to cut them a bit of slack…that is so long as they promise to never bring back those Pirelli football helmets.
Hola Barcelona
After their trip Stateside, the teams have now travelled to the beautiful city of Barcelona. Set between the hills further inland and the Mediterranean Sea, this city is full of culture, history and most importantly for myself…great food.
The popular Spanish city is the second biggest in Spain and is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia. This north-eastern city is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations as well…and for good reason. As you walk through the streets of Barcelona, you’ll come across the unique and distinctive buildings created by the architect Gaudi. The city fully embraced and endorsed the work this man created as some of its most famous buildings, parks and areas can be accredited to the architect.
Being one of Spain’s biggest cities, you’re able to find just about everything in this city. It has an art sector that hosts works by some of Europe’s greatest artists, a captivating history that spans back centuries and some unique and amazing restaurants and bars.
Moving just outside of the city and out towards the hills inland, you’ll find the track “Circuit De Barcelona – Catalunya” where the teams will be racing this weekend. This famous track just half an hour from the centre of Barcelona has hosted 30 grand prix’s and has also been the circuit of choice when the teams do their pre-season testing, mainly due to its close location to where most of the teams are based, as well as the fact it contains a mixture of slow/medium/fast corners and changes in altitude which allows the team to gather a huge amount of data on how their cars will handle nearly everything that will come their way throughout the season.
Due to its longevity on the circuit, the track has seen some memorable moments during its time on the calendar. From great victories such as Schumacher’s first win for Ferrari in 1996 during heavy rain, through to amazing battles such as Ayrton Senna vs Nigel Mansell in 1991, as well as dramatic retirements such as when Mercedes teammates Hamilton and Rosberg came together on the opening lap of the 2016 GP. But with so many great moments in it’s history, why are some fans not that excited for this grand prix?
What we can expect to see in the race
Although there’s been a lot of great racing and moments at the track, the circuit has come under some criticism in the past few years, mainly due to the lack of action that F1 fans have seen there. This isn’t necessarily a problem with the track itself, but predominantly with the cars themselves. During the turbo-hybrid era, there were big issues with the cars not being able to follow each other that well which ultimately led to a lack of overtaking. Thankfully for us all though, the new regulations this year seem to be doing their job in that regard so there’s good reason to hope that the racing we see in Spain this year should be more exciting than what we’ve seen in recent years.
With things heating up in the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships, the tight battle at the top should also add some extra excitement going into this weekend. With Red Bull now within touching distance of Ferrari and Verstappen now potentially just one Leclerc DNF away from taking the lead in the championship, this weekend really could prove to be a decisive one. With Verstappen having won every race that he’s finished so far, it looks as though it’s going to be difficult for Ferrari and Charles to keep the Dutchman behind them this season, but with the Italian team not looking overly concerned just yet, perhaps they’ve still got a few cards up their sleeves.
It could be that one of those cards could be some new upgrades to the car this weekend. With Ferrari pushing back some upgrades until this weekend, perhaps it won’t be advantage Red Bull and Verstappen for the Spanish GP. That may also depend though on how Red Bull’s upgrades affect their performance too. Red Bull also earmarked this race as the one where they would bring their own new floor to the car as well so it really could go either way this weekend, either Red Bull extend their current advantage or perhaps Ferrari can pull ahead again in the development race, as well as the championship, only time will tell.
How to make Paella
Having cooked paella numerous times over the years, I was pretty confident in creating my own delicious recipe for the dish when I was planning out all the meals that I’d cook for this blog, however after a trip to Barcelona early on this year, I knew there was room for improvement. That’s not to say that there was anything wrong with my old paella recipe, but having eaten two of the best rated paella’s in Barcelona while I was there, I just had to figure out how to notch mine up a level or two.
Originating in Valencia, this dish quickly gained popularity all across Spain and is now seen as the unofficial dish of the country by many. Named so after the pan that it’s cooked in, this rice-based dish is brilliant because of its simplicity, as well as the distinctive flavour it has. Traditionally cooked over an open fire which would allow you to use the uniquely wide and shallow pan with ease, I’ve instead tailored my recipe so that the dish can easily be made in any kitchen.
With one of the key aspects of this dish being the flavour of the rice, I knew that if I were to improve my recipe, it would be through the stock that the rice slowly absorbs as it cooks. By mixing together both fish and chicken stock with the very important saffron, the stock perfectly compliments the chicken and prawns that I included in the dish, bringing everything together into what is now, one of my personal favourite recipes. I hope you enjoy it.
Recipe For Paella
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 - 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
150g Peeled and Deveined King Prawns
300g Chicken (Chicken thighs preferably)
280g Paella Rice (Bomba) (If you can’t find Paella rice, other short grain rice can be used)
50g – 75g Garden Peas
1 Red Pepper (roughly chopped)
½ Yellow Pepper (roughly chopped)
½ White Onion (diced)
3 Garlic Cloves (finely chopped/minced)
1 Tomato (roughly chopped and deseeded)
1tsp Paprika (Sweet/Regular preferably)
200ml Tomato Passata
500ml Boiling Water
1 Bay Leaf
½ Chicken Stock Cube
½ Fish Stock Cube
Pinch of Saffron Threads (Roughly 20 threads)
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon
(You’ll also need some tin foil for this recipe)
Instructions
Start by adding your stock cubes, saffron, paprika, bay leaf and some salt & pepper into a jug with your boiling water. Stir until stock cubes have dissolved and then set to one side, allowing to cool slightly and for the saffron to infuse the stock.
With your stock cooling, begin to chop your other ingredients. I’d recommend chopping your chicken too but if you would prefer to leave it bigger then that’s also fine. After prepping, begin to pre-heat your oven to 200°c (Gas mark 6 or 180°c for a fan oven.)
Once prepped, begin heating up some olive oil in a frying pan to cook your chicken in on a medium-high heat. (You can cook your chicken in the same dish as everything else but if you’re using a paella pan, I find the chicken can catch on the bottom of the pan slightly and leave a few burnt bits behind, so a separate non-stick pan is preferred.) Once hot, add in your chicken and fry until it’s turning golden brown/cooked through. Remove the chicken and place in a dish to the side.
Optional: If you’re using uncooked prawns, you can lightly cook them a bit at this stage before they get finished off later. If using cooked prawns, ignore this step.
With the chicken set aside, begin heating some oil in your paella pan on a medium-high heat. (If you don’t have a paella dish, use the widest pan you have available as the rice needs to be as evenly spread out as possible to cook properly.) Once the oil is hot, begin cooking your onion and garlic.
After a couple of minutes, add in your peppers and cook for another couple of minutes before then adding your tomato as well.
After a few minutes, add in your passata, stock mix, peas and a touch more salt and pepper. Stir and begin bringing to a boil.
Once it’s nearly boiling, add in your rice, ensuring you spread it as evenly as possible around the pan. This is important as it ensures all the rice is cooked properly.
Next, cover loosely with some tin foil and place the dish in your pre-heated oven. (If you’re not using a paella pan, check if your pan can go in the oven. If not, loosely cover and place on the biggest ring of your hob on a low-medium temperature.)
After ten minutes have passed, remove your dish from the oven and carefully lift the tin foil lid. At this point, you should be able to see if your rice was evenly spread out or not. If there are areas that have more rice than others, carefully spread these to the less filled parts of the pan carefully, ensuring you don’t disturb any more of the rice than you need to. Paella rice should ideally not be touched until it’s finished cooking.
Once you’ve checked your rice is spread evenly, add you cooked chick and prawns on top of the rice and recover again with the tin foil, before then placing it into the oven again for a further 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes have passed, remove again from the oven and check to see if most of the liquid has been absorbed, cooking for a further 5 minutes if not. If mostly absorbed, then your paella is ready to serve. Quarter a lemon and squeeze onto your meal before eating.
Tips
If you have an outdoor fire pit/paella cooking ring, then feel free to cook this dish using either of those as that is more similar to how this dish would be cooked in Spain. However, as most people may not have access to one of these, this is why I opted to use an oven instead.
Don’t be concerned if some of your rice catches on the bottom of your pan. In Valencia, where the dish was created, this is actually preferred and adds another element to the dish itself. If you’d be interested in cooking it this way, simply remove your pan from the oven 5 minutes earlier and cook on your hob on a medium heat for the last 5 minutes instead.
Across Spain there are a number of different ingredients people will use in their paella, mainly due to what’s traditionally available in that area. Those by the coast will often have an entire seafood version of the dish, using prawns, mussels and fish, while those more inland will often just use meat in theirs, such as chicken, rabbit and chorizo instead. Feel free to experiment with this dish as there’s no single set way of what you can put in it.
If you’re looking to make the dish vegetarian/vegan, then that’s very easily done. Swap out the chicken/fish stock for vegetarian stock and add in more veg instead of the chicken and prawns. Butter beans, artichoke hearts, broad beans and broccoli can commonly be found in regular versions of the dish anyway so swapping these in for the meat/seafood is still in keeping with how Spanish locals would cook the dish.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post and recipe. I may have mentioned it already, but I have a big soft spot for the city of Barcelona which just makes me even more happy that I was able to turn this iconic dish into one of the recipes that I’m most proud of making.
The next post will be out in roughly a week’s time for the Monaco GP and if you’d like to stay updated on when it comes out, be sure to follow the blog on either Twitter or Instagram as all new posts will be announce on there. Links for both are just below here. Have a good week.
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