Recipes
Time-honoured dishes from around the world — each with its story, its region, and step-by-step instructions.
Chorizo a la Sidra
Soft cooking chorizo simmered in dry Asturian cider until the sauce turns glossy and paprika-red, a sidrería classic that needs only bread.
Croquetas de Jamón
Crisp-shelled croquettes with a molten heart of jamón-flecked béchamel, the tapa by which every Spanish bar and grandmother is judged.
Empanada Gallega
Galicia's great savoury pie. A thin olive-oil dough filled with a slow onion and pepper sofrito and good tinned tuna, baked flat and eaten at any temperature.
Ensaladilla Rusa
Spain's "Russian salad" of potatoes, carrots, peas, egg, and tuna folded through olive-oil mayonnaise, served cold with picos and a cold beer.
Gambas al Ajillo
Prawns seared in furiously hot olive oil with garlic and guindilla chilli, brought to the table still bubbling in the cazuela.
Huevos Rotos
"Broken eggs" over crisp-edged fried potatoes with jamón. Madrid taberna food at its finest, where the runny yolk becomes the sauce.
Paella Valenciana
The original paella. Rabbit, chicken, and beans cooked with saffron rice in a wide shallow pan, finished with a crisp socarrat crust.
Paella de Marisco
The seafood paella of the Valencian coast. Bomba rice simmered in a deep prawn-shell stock with squid, mussels, and saffron, finished with socarrat.
Sardinian Pork & Fennel Pasta
Pork and fennel sausage in a creamy tomato sauce with white wine and parmigiano. My take on Sardinia's malloreddus alla campidanese.
Tortilla de Betanzos
The famous tortilla of Betanzos, in Galicia. No onion, ever. Potatoes fried in olive oil and folded through egg, served golden outside and almost liquid within.