🥘 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.

🦑 Pulpo A La Gallega - Galician Octopus

The soft and meaty texture of octopus is highlighted by bright Spanish paprika and olive oil. 

Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Execution time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 leg octopus (230g) 

• 3 chats potatoes, steamed for 25 minutes until tender 

• 50g chorizo 

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4  lemon, juiced 

• ½ tsp pimenton ahumado or dulce (smoked or sweet Spanish paprika)

• 2 sprigs parsley, chopped 

• ½ tsp sea salt 

Poaching Liquid

• 1L water 

• ½ brown onion 

• ½ carrot, sliced 

• 1 bay leaf 

• 1 tsp black peppercorns 

• 2 sprigs rosemary 

METHOD

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Using tongs, dip the octopus into the water 3 times to clean it, and until the legs begin to curl up a little bit. Discard the water. 

2. Place all of the poaching liquid ingredients into a new pot, and bring the water to a simmer. 

3. Poach the octopus for 50-90 minutes until it is tender, but not falling appart. You can check this by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the tentacle. It should go in with almost no resistance. 

4. Allow the octopus to cool for 30 minutes in the poaching liquid. Then, drain off the cooking liquid and rest the octopus in the fridge for an hour or up to overnight.

5. Preheat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add in the 2 tbsp of olive oil until it has warmed up. 

6. Cook the chorizo in the frying pan until it has nearly cooked through. 

7. Add in the octopus, season it with a bit of salt, and cook it until the ends of the tentacles begin to caramelise a little bit. Season the octopus generously with pimenton.  

8. To plate the dish, slice the warmed potatoes and place them onto a plate. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the potatoes as well. Slice the octopus and chorizo and place it ontop of the potatoes. Garnish the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and chopped parsley. 

---

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
Frf 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 almonds, toasted in a pan

• 2 tbsp bread crumbs 

• 1 tbsp hazelnuts

• 1 tsp pimenton (Spanish paprika) 

• 1 cloves of garlic

• ½ tsp salt 

• 1 tsp honey 

• 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 30minutes 

Execution time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

Salsa bechamel: 

• 350ml milk 

• 50g butter 

• ½ brown onion (80g), minced finely 

• 50g flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 pinch white pepper 

For frying:

• 400ml vegetable oil 

For the ham and cheese: 

• 40g jamon (2 slices), minced 

• 30g manchego, grated

For the bacalao: 

• 70g bacalao (salt cod), soaked in water for 3 hours, shredded 

• 2 sprigs parsley, chopped 

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. Gently saute the onions until they begin to soften and start to turn translucent (about 5 minutes). 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, and white pepper. 

3. Continue cooking the sauce for 4-5 minutes until it begins to thicken up. Switch to a wooden spatula and contiue cooking it until it’s so thick that ripples in the sauce don’t sink back into a liquid. 

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 make the bacalao croquetas: In a mixing bowl, combine the set salsa bechamel with the salt cod, and parsley. 

7. To make the ham and cheese croquetas: in a mixing bowl, combine the set salsa bechamel, the minced jamon, and grated manchego. 

8. To form the croquetas, dived the mixture into 6 equal pieces. Shape the croquetas into balls or thick log shapes. 

9. 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. 

10. 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. 

11. 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

• 200g Bomba rice

• 750ml chicken stock

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

• 1 tomato, grated

• 1 tsp pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)

• 2 garlic cloves, diced

• 60g broad beans or runner beans

• 20 threads saffron

• 1 sprig rosemary

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp salt 

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• ½ lemon, cut into wedges for serving
  
  

Seafood Option: 

Replace the chicken with:

• 4 mussels

• 1 tube of squid, sliced 

• 2 prawns 

METHOD 

1. Heat the paella pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and salt to the pan. Brown the chicken thigh in batches. Add the onion and cook for a minute until it becomes translucent.

2. Add in the broad or runner beans and cook until they brown lightly on either side. Add in the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so.

3. Add the grated tomato, pimenton, bay leaf, saffron and cook until the tomato reduces to a jammy consistency. Add in the stock and bring it to a boil. 

4. Add the bomba rice and stock and cook for 10 minutes. Don’t stir.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for an additional 5 minutes, allowing the stock to slowly evaporate. 

6. Add the prawns and mussels and rosemary into the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the prawns over, remove the paella from the heat and cover for 5 minutes with aluminium foil. 

7. Garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.