Black Ink Paella

 

Black Ink Paella

Black Ink Paella on the 4th of July: Celebrating America with Spanish Colors

It's July 4th. Independence Day. The birthday of America. Fireworks, flags, freedom.

And I'm making Spanish paella.

Not just any paella - BLACK INK paella with red and yellow peppers arranged like the Spanish flag on top.

The irony is not lost on me.

The Idea

Look, I like America. I live here. My kids are American. But when July 4th comes around and everyone's grilling burgers and hot dogs, I get restless. I want to make something INTERESTING.

So this year, I thought: paella. Big. Bold. Feeds a crowd. Perfect for a celebration.

Then I took it further. Squid ink paella - that dramatic black rice you see at Spanish restaurants. And then, because I apparently can't help myself, I arranged red and yellow bell peppers on top in a radial pattern.

Red and yellow. The colors of the Spanish flag.

On black rice.

On America's birthday.

The Cooking Process

Squid ink paella is DRAMATIC. The rice turns this deep, dark black from the squid ink. It looks intense. Almost gothic. But the flavor? Clean ocean taste, slightly briny, incredibly rich.

I started with the sofrito base like always - onions, garlic, tomato paste. Built that flavor foundation. Then added the squid ink to the stock. The moment you stir it in, the whole pan transforms. Everything goes BLACK.

The rice goes in. Absorbs that inky liquid. Becomes this beautiful dark canvas.

While the rice cooked, I sliced bell peppers - red and yellow, cut into long strips. Once the rice was almost done, I arranged them in this radial sunburst pattern. Alternating colors. Red, yellow, red, yellow. Radiating out from the center.

It looked INCREDIBLE. Like a sunset. Like a flag. Like art.

Fresh parsley on top for that pop of green. And that was it.

The Irony

Here's what makes this funny: July 4th is about America declaring independence from Britain in 1776. It's THE most American holiday.

And I'm serving Spanish food. With the Spanish flag colors. On black rice.

But you know what? That's actually VERY American. America is this wild mix of cultures, foods, and traditions from everywhere.

So, celebrating the 4th with paella? That's perfectly American. We don't have to stick to burgers and hot dogs. We can eat whatever we want. That's the FREEDOM part. Sushi for next year? Maybe…

Plus, Spain never colonized us. So there's no historical beef. Just good food.

The Taste

The squid ink rice was incredible - that ocean umami, slightly sweet from the peppers, the socarrat (crispy bottom) was PERFECT. The red and yellow peppers got charred and sweet from the heat.

Everyone loved it. My American friends. My international friends. The kids ate it. Adults went back for seconds.

And yeah, we had fireworks after. And yeah, someone played the national anthem on a speaker.

But the paella? That was the real star.

Kion Coffee
 
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