Matt Goulding, author of “Grape, Olive, Pig,” discovers the original paella, finds out-of-the-way Spanish eateries, falls in love and recounts his one meal at elBulli. Plus, we travel to Paris for gnocchi; J. Kenji López-Alt double-fries chicken; and Mark Bittman talks about “Dinner for Everyone.”

Questions in This Episode:

“You guys are always advocating for fresh spices, but fresh spices aren’t always easy to come by. So I’m wondering what’s the best way to deal with old spices or am I obligated to get new spices every year?”

“I tried to make a key lime tart. Sadly, I have to be gluten and dairy free, so I made a gluten-free tart crust, which worked beautifully. The filling was another story. What did I do wrong?”

“A good friend of mine has a lousy sense of smell (admittedly) and as a result, eats a lot of fast food, probably for the salt, fats and embedded sugar. So I wondered, is there any way to improve one’s sense of smell or taste, or is that biologically impossible? Or cooking tips you can share that will help my friend enjoy good foods more?”

“I had a question about using the starchy pasta water and incorporating it into a sauce for the dish. I’ve done this before and obviously it yields great creamy and thick results. Often times I try to use whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta as the regular stuff sometimes disagrees with me. Does using gluten-free pasta affect the starch content of the water for being able to use it for sauces?”

This episode is brought to you by Ferguson and Butcher Box.