Hola, it’s paella and more at Diamond Hotel’s Spanish food fest

Think Spanish food and paella — that pan-tastic, world-famous rice dish — invariably comes to mind. There’s more to love and rave about paella as Diamond Hotel’s new executive chef Francisco Coque brings his assorted paella offerings — and much more — in Exquisita Comida Española, a Spanish food festival, at Corniche’s lunch and dinner buffet from April 3 to 9.

“I’m doing six different kinds of paella for the festival (two per cycle),” says chef Francisco with a smile as bright as sunshine on a summer day in the Canary Islands, where he comes from.

What’s the secret to his paella?

“What secret?” comes the chef’s quick reply.  “There’s no secret; just fresh ingredients!”

It’s very easy to make paella, chef Francisco assures us, but every chef has his own paella recipe (some will use leeks, some will not; some will use tomato, some will not). It’s such ordinary, everyday fare in Spain that every household serves it.

“Every time I’m home, I’m preparing paella for my family,” he tells us. “Just like in the Philippines where everybody’s cooking adobo.”

Of course, chef Francisco will tell you that the best paella is the one cooked at home with a lot of love. But for visitors looking for the best paella in Spain, try Quique Dacosta Restaurante in Valencia, Alicante.

And what’s his favorite paella?

“I love paella Negra, it’s one of my favorites because it’s very tasty — it’s made of squid ink with aioli (that piquant Mediterranean sauce laced with fresh minced garlic),” he gushes.

For his paella, chef Francisco uses only the best rice — arroz bomba from Valencia, the perfect rice for the perfect paella. In Valencia, the paella is cooked over a hot wood fire, often of dried vine cuttings, with the smoke faintly flavoring the rice.

To give us a delicious sneak peek at the exquisite dishes he will be cooking for Exquisita Comida Española, chef Francisco prepares for us his pan con tomate and jamon Iberico (toast bread rubbed with tomato and Iberico ham), arroz caldoso (soupy rice), and — si, señor — churros con chocolate!

He emerges from the kitchen bearing a pot of arroz caldoso, its fragrant aroma naturally stirring our curiosity. Arroz caldoso literally means rice with broth, which is cooked with a lot of different seafood. In fact, you can put all the seafood you want in there, says chef Francisco. There are prawns, clams, mussels, fish (he uses our own lapu-lapu), octopus, etc.

“To make arroz caldoso, you first cook the sofrito (aromatic mix of herbs and spices), which is the most important in Spain,” he explains. “The sofrito is made of garlic, red and green bell peppers, white onions, tomatoes. Add a little Spanish paprika, white wine, and bay leaf. After that, add the broth that has been cooked with the fish head and some vegetables. Then add the seafood and the fish.”

Muy delicioso!

We cap this preview on a sweet note: churros! Cheers to churros! “We make them the good old traditional way,” says chef Francisco. “It’s simple dough with salt, butter, water, deep-fried with sugar. We’re serving them in small sizes in the hotel, but sold as street food in Spain, they’re usually longer. It’s dipped in hot chocolate — for this, we’re using native Filipino chocolate. Yes, it’s comfort food that’s served on holidays, during parties, for sharing with the family.”

Will he be serving cochinillo?

But of course! “Our cochinillo weighs five kilos and it’s baked for two-and-a-half hours so that the skin is very crispy and the meat is very tender,” he points out.

For this food fest, guest chef Justo Lopez is flying in from Spain to do his cochinillo. He’ll be standing there by the carving station waiting for you.

More delicious tips: For starters, rev up your palate with a nice and spicy gambas al ajillo (prawns sautéed in garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes). Not to be missed, too, is the good, old-fashioned tortilla Española (Spanish omelet with potato, onion, and egg).

For sure, there’ll be lots of cold cuts and cheeses (think jamon Iberico and queso Manchego).

Si, with all these Spanish delights, don’t be surprised if your taste buds feel like doing a flamenco! Olé!

* * *

For an upgraded dinner buffet paired with fine Spanish wines, reserve the Chef’s Table at Corniche in a wine and buffet gathering on April 3, inclusive of special dishes to be served exclusively. From April 3-9, indulge in bottomless sangrias matched with all-you-can eat pintxos from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Bar 27, the sky-high bar of Diamond Hotel. As a special treat, Spanish nationals and Spanish embassy employees enjoy a 30-percent discount for the lunch and dinner buffet. For restaurant reservations, call 528-3000 local 1121.