Spanish Cooking Master Class

• 
• Servings
  2
• Prep
  120 m
• Cook
  120 m

Recipe By: Otao kitchen

Spanish Cooking Master Class

SAMPLE MENU: (MENUS SUBJECT TO SEASONAL CHANGE) 

Croquetas De Jamon/ De Bacalao- Ham and Cheese Croquettes, or Salt Cod Croquettes 
Paella Valenciana - Rice with Seasonal Seafood and Chicken 
Romesco- Capsicum Sauce
Pintxos- Jamon y Manchengo - ham and manchego toast 

🥘 Jamon, manchego pintxo- Ham and cheese toast  

Pinxtos are a specialty of Basque country. Little slices of bread are topped with a variety of different toppings. Try to buy a good-quality white sourdough with a nice crust. For this variation, tangy romesco sauce pairs with rich and salty slices of  Spanish ham and Manchego cheese. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 10 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 thick slices of good-quality, white sourdough bread

• 4 tbsp romesco sauce 

• 30g manchego grated 

• 2 (35g) slices of jamon serrano  (or better yet, jamon iberico -cured Spanish ham)

• 2 caper berries 

• 2 skewers 

METHOD 

1. To assemble the pinxtos, smear each slice of bread with a generous 2 tablespoons of the romesco sauce. Sprinkle the grated manchego on top, and layer on the slices of jamon. Garnish each piece of bread with a caper berry and a skewer. Optionally, use a butane torch to melt the manchego cheese. 

🥘 ‘Cojonuda’  

Cojonuda is derived from the word cojones, meaning balls or testicles. And with the feminine ‘a’ conjugation at the end, this dish could roughly be translated as the ‘girl with a big pair of balls’. It’s important to note that cojonudo also means great, or amazing. Cojonuda is also the name of a similar tapa that uses chorizo rather than morcilla (blood sausage) as the meat. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 10 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 thick slices of good-quality, white sourdough bread

• 1 link of morcilla sausage, OR substitute chorizo sausage, sliced thickly 

• 2 quail eggs 

• 3 piquillo peppers 

METHOD 

1. To cook the morcilla, heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the morcilla sausage and cook on both sides of for 1-2 minutes or until browned and warmed through. Set aside. 

2. To fry the quail egg, use scissors or a very sharp knife to cut the lid of the quail egg open.  

3. To assemble the pinxtos, drizzle a little olive oil on each slide of bread. Place the piquillo peppers on top. Place slices of the warm morcilla on the piquillo peppers, then top that with the fried quail egg. 

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Salsa Romesco - Roast Capsicum Sauce 

Romesco is a sauce that is said to have traditionally been made by fisherman using a mortar and pestle in the Tarragona region of Spain, although it is seen frequently around the country. It pairs well with just about anything: poultry, seafood, roasted vegetables, or slathered liberally on bread. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Execution time: 10 minutes

Serves: makes 300ml 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 red capsicums, charred over an open flame, skins and seeds removed 

• 1 tomato, charred over an open flame, skin removed

• 2 tbsp vinagre de Jerez (Spanish sherry vinegar)

• 2 tbsp (20g)  whole blanched almonds, toasted in a pa

• 3 tbsp (30g) panko bread crumbs 

• 1 tbsp (20g) hazelnuts 

• 1 tsp pimenton (Spanish paprika) 

• 1 cloves of garlic

• ½ tsp salt 

• 50ml cup extra virgin olive oil

METHOD 

1. Place the garlic in the mortar and pestle and grind it until it is very smooth. 

2. Go Add in the breadcrumbs and nuts and grind into a coarse powder.

3. Add in the diced tomatoes and capsicum and grind. 

4. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil and mix. 

5. Finally, whisk in the olive to emulsify the sauce. Season to taste with salt and/or more vinegar, if necessary. 

🍘Croquetas De Jamon (de bacalao) - Ham and Cheese or Salt Cod Croquettes 

This creamy and comforting snack is a staple menu item in tapas restaurants all across Spaing. 

Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Execution time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

Salsa bechamel: 

• 190ml milk 

• 30g butter 

• 30g flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 pinch white pepper 

• 1 pinch nutmeg

For frying:

• 400ml vegetable oil 

For the ham and cheese: 

• 40g jamon (2 slices), minced 

• 40g manchego, grated

• 20g chives 

For the bacalao: 

• 50g bacalao (salt cod), soaked in water for 3 hours, shredded 

• 20g chives 

For the breading: 

• 2 large eggs

• 4 tbsp plain flour 

• 100g panko bread crumbs

METHOD

1. To make the salsa bechamel, warm the butter in a sauce pot over low heat. Turn the heat up to medium-low add in the flour and whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes or until the flour smells no longer raw. It should smell like baked bread rather than raw flour. 

2. Slowly whisk in the milk. Season the sauce with salt, nutmeg and white pepper. 

3. Continue cooking the sauce for 4-5 minutes until it begins to thicken up. Switch to a wooden spatula and continue cooking it until it’s so thick that ripples in the sauce don’t sink back into a liquid. Add in the chives and either the jamon and manchego OR the bacalao. 

4. Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the salsa bechamel into the baking dish, cover it, and refrigerate it for 2-3 hours or overnight until it has set. 

5. To make the croqueta, dived the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into separate trays. 

6. To form the croquetas, dived the mixture into 8 equal pieces (60g each). Shape the croquetas into balls or thick log shapes. 

7. To crumb the croquetas, dip the shapes into the flour and make sure they are evenly and generously coated. Transfer the shapes into the egg, and coat them evenly. Finally, coat them evenly in the bread crumbs. 

8. Preheat a the vegetable oil in a pot to 180C. Fry the croquetas in batches, for 2-3 minutes. They’re read if the sauce begins to seap out of the croquetas and into the oil. Drain the croquetas on paper towel, and season them with a pinch of salt. 

9. Serve them with salsa romesco. 

🥘 Paella Valenciana 

Paella originates from the Valencia region of Spain. Although the original dish is usually made with rabbit, it is also commonplace to use a mixture of seafood. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Execution time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 140g Bomba rice

• 750ml chicken stock

• 2 pcs (200g) bone-in chicken thigh, chopped into large pieces 

• 2-3 tomatoes, grated

• 1 tsp pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)

• 2 garlic cloves, diced

• 60g broad beans or runner beans

• 40g green beans, cut in half 

• 20 threads saffron, smoked and soaked in 100ml water 

• 1 sprig rosemary

• ½ tsp salt 

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• ½ lemon, cut into wedges for serving

• 2 Piquillo peppers, halved  (optional)
  
  

Seafood Option: 

Replace the chicken with:

• 4 mussels

• 1 tube of squid, sliced 

• 2 prawns 

• Replace chicken stock with fish stock

METHOD 

1. Heat the paella pan over medium-low heat. Add in the olive oil and salt to the pan. Brown the chicken thigh in batches. 

2. Add in the broad or runner beans and cook until they brown lightly on either side for 2-3 minutes. Add in the chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until cooked through.

3. Add the grated tomato and cook for a minute or so until it reduces a bit. Add in the saffron and pimenton. Add the bomba rice and stock and cook for 15 minutes. Don’t stir too much. After 15 minutes the rice should be mostly cooked through. 

4. Increase the heat, add in the rosemary and cook for another additional 5 minutes, allowing the stock to evaporate, and for a crust to form. 

Garnish with lemon wedges and optionally with the piquillo peppers. 

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Printed From otaokitchen.com.au 06/18/2025