Cuisines

Spanish recipes

Olive oil, paprika, and things shared from the middle of the table.

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Spanish cooking is built on olive oil, pork, paprika and the habit of putting several small things on a table rather than one large one. The tapas format is not a style of food but a way of eating, and it changes what gets cooked: dishes that are good in three mouthfuls, that can sit in front of you still bubbling, that want bread more than they want cutlery. Pimentón — smoked paprika, dried over oak in Extremadura — is the flavour that reads as Spanish more than any other, and it is a post-Columbian arrival like the tomato and the potato. The recipes here cover both halves of the tradition: the fast bar dishes that take five minutes and the slow ones, the stews and the rice, that take an afternoon and feed a table.

10 recipes

Tarta de Santiago — shot from directly overhead: a flourless almond cake with nothing in it but almonds

Tarta de Santiago

A flourless almond cake with nothing in it but almonds, sugar, eggs and lemon, stencilled with the cross of Saint James.

1 hr 50 minServes 8

DessertsSpanish

Gazpacho — shot from directly overhead: a chilled Andalusian soup of raw tomatoes

Gazpacho

A chilled Andalusian soup of raw tomatoes, cucumber and pepper blended with bread and olive oil, which is what turns it creamy rather than watery.

5 hr 5 minServes 6

SoupsSpanishTomatoes

Gambas al Ajillo — shot from directly overhead: prawns cooked hard in garlic oil with chilli

Gambas al Ajillo

Prawns cooked hard in garlic oil with chilli, served still bubbling, with bread that exists to mop the pan.

15 minutesSpanish

Chickpea and Spinach Stew — shot from directly overhead: dried chickpeas cooked from scratch and thickened with fried bread pounded to a paste

Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Dried chickpeas cooked from scratch and thickened with fried bread pounded to a paste, which is how Seville gets body without cream.

14 hr 15 minServes 4

Leafy greensMain coursesSpanish

Chicken and Prawn Paella — shot from directly overhead: bomba rice cooked flat and never stirred in a wide pan

Chicken and Prawn Paella

Bomba rice cooked flat and never stirred in a wide pan, which keeps the grains separate and toasts a crust onto the base.

1 hr 20 minServes 4

ChickenMain coursesSpanish

Spanish Potato Tortilla — shot from directly overhead: potatoes and onion softened slowly in olive oil

Spanish Potato Tortilla

Potatoes and onion softened slowly in olive oil, then set with beaten egg in a small pan and turned out on a plate to finish.

1 hr 25 minServes 4

BreakfastPotatoesSpanish

Pisto — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Pisto

Courgette, pepper, onion and tomato cooked separately, then together, until everything collapses into something sweet and jammy.

1 hr 20 minServes 4

SpanishStewsVegan

Patatas Bravas — shot from directly overhead: twice-cooked potatoes under a smoky

Patatas Bravas

Twice-cooked potatoes under a smoky, faintly fierce tomato sauce — the one tapa every bar in Spain is judged on.

PotatoesSaucesSide dishes

Fabada Asturiana — shot from directly overhead: big white beans stewed slowly with chorizo

Fabada Asturiana

Big white beans stewed slowly with chorizo, morcilla and pork until the broth turns thick and orange.

15 hr 20 minServes 6

PorkSpanishStews

Albóndigas in Almond Sauce — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Albóndigas in Almond Sauce

Pork and beef meatballs simmered in a pale sauce thickened with fried bread and almonds rather than flour.

1 hr 15 minServes 4

Often combined with

Spanish + Vegetarian Spanish + Tomatoes Spanish + Vegan Spanish + Stews Spanish + Main courses Spanish + Potatoes Spanish + Sauces Spanish + Pork Spanish + Desserts Spanish + Soups Spanish + 15 minutes Spanish + Leafy greens

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