This is such an exciting week at the Global Table. We’re finally cooking Spain. Let me tell you what… she’s sweet, crunchy, saffron-loaded, and blooming with smoked paprika.

And she’s also… well… a little off. You see, I made a teeny weeny mistake on this menu (see Very Important Note #2, below).

With humble apologies, I’d like to share this Spanish proverb and hope that we can be…

One who draws water from stones.
Saca agua de las pierdras.*

i.e. Let’s be resourceful and make use out of everything that happens to us, good or bad.
i.e. With the right attitude, there are no mistakes in life.

Very Important Note #1: Thanks to all of you all who voted on our Facebook Page. You helped determine this fun, relatively simple menu with Paella. Yay! I couldn’t do it without you. Cheers!

Very Important Note #2: I got the memo too late on the “Spaniards don’t put chorizo in their Paella.”  Yikes. For more authenticity, feel free to leave it out… this will give you a simple, coastal paella. Or use chicken instead of the chorizo. Or be like me, and enjoy a … shall we say… “Spanish fusion” dish.

Very Important UPDATE: Apparently Chorizo IS authentic in certain regions of Spain. So there ya go. Who knew…

All recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week.

Weeknight Paella [Recipe]
A happy, simple paella. Fry up some onion and garlic, add arborio rice, peas, and saffron-laced broth. Cook with smoked paprika, chorizo, and shrimp. This recipe takes inspiration from coastal Spain and goes much quicker than the more complex paellas.

Sangria [Recipe]
A sweet and tart concotion of merlot, triple sec, and a bounty of freshly sliced oranges, limes, and lemons. Perfect for afternoon sippin’.

Churros [Recipe]
Bite into a crunchy strip of warm, fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. Midnight snack much? Divine.

Tell me, have you ever made a cultural faux pas?  Have you misunderstood a culture? Or misinterpreted it? Made the food all wrong? How would you handle it?