Top Spanish Recipes

1. Classic Spanish paella)

  • Ingredients
  • large pinch saffron strands
  • 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube, made up to 600ml
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 125g chorizo, roughly chopped
  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or a mix), chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 250g Spanish paella rice
  • 4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 75g frozen peas
  • 250g cooked prawns with shells on (thawed if frozen) and rinsed
  • small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve
  • chopped lemon wedges, to serve
Let’s Cook:
  1. Stir the saffron strands into the stock and set aside to infuse while you prepare the rest of the paella.
  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a paella pan or a large deep frying pan with a lid. Tip in the chorizo and fry for about 3 mins until crisp and the oil has been released. Remove the chorizo and drain on kitchen paper, leaving the oil in the pan.
  2. Stir the chicken into the pan and fry over a high heat for 7-8 mins, or until the meat is golden and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Pour another 1 tbsp of oil into the pan, tip in the chopped onion and garlic and stir-fry for 4-5 mins, until softened and just starting to colour. Stir in the pepper and paprika with the remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry for a further 1-2 mins. The pan should have lots of crispy, brown bits on the bottom, which will all add flavour.
  4. With the heat still quite high, quickly stir in the rice so it is well-coated in the oil, then pour in the saffron-infused stock plus 450ml boiling water, scraping up the sticky brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  5. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring once or twice. Scatter the peas, prawns and fried chorizo over the top, cover again and leave to cook a further 5-10 mins, or until the rice is just cooked and most of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on and leave to rest for 5 mins. Stir a few times to mix the ingredients, season to taste and scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and an extra drizzle of oil, if you like

2. Classic Mojito

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 large mint leaves or 15 small
  • 2 tablespoons simple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh is best!
  • 1 1/2 ounces white rum more or less depending on desired strength
  • Club soda
  • Fresh mint sprigs and/or lime wheels for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Muddle mint leaves with simple syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker using a muddler.*
  • Pour into a glass filled with ice.  Pour in rum, then top with club soda.
  • Garnish with mint sprigs and/or lime wheels, if desired.

3. Alfajores Recipe

Ingredients

  • Cornstarch: it’s essential for that crumbly texture.
  • Unsalted butter.
  • Sugar: white, granulated sugar.
  • Eggs: large, fresh.
  • All-purpose flour.
  • Salt: I like to use kosher salt for my recipes, but regular salt also works.
  • Baking powder: make sure it’s active and not expired.
  • Vanilla – I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
  • Lemon zest: freshly grated. A small amount is needed.
  • Cognac: you can also use brandy or whisky. If you don’t want alcohol, omit it, but it evaporated during baking but leaves behind a wonderful flavor.

Instructions:

  • Form dough into a disk then wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and chill until it is firm, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour a work surface.
  • Cut the dough in half and return unused portion to the fridge.
  • Roll out the half of dough you are using to 1/4 inch thickness and then cut into 12 2-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps if necessary.
  • Place the dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 11-13 minutes, or until they are just golden on the bottom edges. The cookies will be quite pale on top, this is fine.
  • Remove the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough half. You will have 24 cookies after baking.
  • Once the cookies have cooled, turn over half of them. Then, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, place a tablespoon or two of the dulce de leche on the flat surface of the upside down cookie. Place a right side up cookie on top of the filling, and gently press to sandwich them together. Repeat with the remaining cookies. (You’ll have 12 sandwich cookies total.)
  • Dust generously with powdered sugar and serve!

4. Spanish Tortilla

Ingrediens:

  • Eggs: Use the best quality you have available to you. 
  • Onion: I use a large white onion, though you can experiment with other varieties.
  • Potatoes: Use waxy potatoes for your tortilla — Yukon Golds work well.
  1. Peel the potatoes using a speed-peeler, then carefully cut them into thin slices. Pat the potato slices dry with a clean tea towel.
  2. Peel and finely slice the onion. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil into a small frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and potatoes.
  3. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onions are turning golden and the potato slices are cooked through. Try not to stir it too much or the potatoes will break up – just use a fish slice to flip them over halfway through.
  4. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then whisk together with a fork.
  5. When the onions and potatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and carefully tip them into the eggs. Transfer the mixture back into the frying pan and place it over a low heat. Cook for around 20 minutes, or until there’s almost no runny egg on top.
  6. Use a fish slice to slightly lift and loosen the sides of the tortilla. Carefully flip the pan over a dinner plate and tip out the tortilla, then slide it back into the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
  7. Turn out the tortilla onto a serving board, then cut into 6 wedges and serve hot or cold with a simple green salad.

5. Homemade Churros

Ingredients

  • 50g butter, melted
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g plain flour, from a new bag (essential for absorbing the liquid)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • about 1 litre sunflower oil
  • a few chunks of bread

For the sauce

  • 200g dark chocolate, not too bitter, broken into chunks
  • 100ml double cream
  • 100ml whole milk
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract, if you have some

For the cinnamon sugar

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Method

  • STEP 1

    Boil the kettle, then measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a big mixing bowl with a big pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Rest for 10-15 mins while you make the sauce.

  • STEP 2

    Put all the sauce ingredients into a pan and gently melt together, stirring occasionally until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat.

  • STEP 3

    Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous – before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds to 1 min. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.

  • STEP 4

    Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag – 1.5-2cm wide is a good size. Fill with the rested dough, then pipe 2-3 strips directly into the pan, snipping off each dough strip with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Be very careful here – if air bubbles form in the churros they can explode, especially if the oil overheats or you use old flour. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous – before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Keep children out of the kitchen and protect yourself by wearing long sleeves and eye protection, and keeping your face away from the pan.

  • STEP 5

    Once the churros are crisp and golden brown, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined tray. Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with some cinnamon sugar as you go. When you’ve cooked all the churros, toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce, for dipping.
    To see a video of how to prepare churros, take a look at our churros ice cream sandwich recipe.