Recipes from our Barcelona kitchen

Ingredients

• 400 g paella rice (short or medium grain; risotto rice is a fair backup)
• 1.5 litres hot fish stock, kept at a simmer
• 400-600 g cuttlefish and/or squid, chopped
• Prawns, heads on if you can, 1-2 per person
• Clams and mussels, 2-3 of each per person
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, grated
• A handful of red and green pepper, sliced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or smoked)
• 0.25 g saffron
• A splash of white wine
• Plenty of olive oil (at least 1/2 cup) and salt

Method

1. Warm 4-6 tablespoons of olive oil in the paella pan and soften the peppers for 2-3 minutes. Lift them out and set them aside.
2. Sear the prawns for about 2 minutes, pressing the heads against the pan to release their flavour (add a little more oil if needed). Take the prawns out, pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute while you scrape up the browned bits. This is the base of your flavour.
3. Stir in the saffron, then the garlic for a few seconds, then the grated tomato, and last the paprika. Add a drizzle more oil if it starts to catch, and cook it down to a thick sauce for a few minutes.
4. Add the cuttlefish or squid with a light pinch of salt and let it give up its juices for about 2 minutes.
5. Tip in the rice and stir it through the sauce for 2-3 minutes so every grain is coated, keeping it moving so it does not stick (more oil helps). Return the peppers to the pan.
6. Raise the heat to high and pour in the hot, strained fish stock until it sits about 1 cm above the rice. It should bubble right away. Start a 16-minute timer, stir once to level the rice, then leave it alone.
7. At 3 minutes, lower the heat to medium or medium-high. At 6 minutes, press the prawns into the rice in any pattern you like and add the clams and mussels.
8. Keep a steady medium-high heat without stirring (shaking the pan is fine) and top up with stock as the rice drinks it, usually until around 11-12 minutes. The rice needs 16-18 minutes depending on your pan and burner. In the last 1-2 minutes, turn the heat up to build the socarrat, the toasty crust on the bottom.
9. Take the pan off the heat, cover it with a clean towel and rest it for 3 minutes. A slightly dark crust underneath is exactly how it should be.

Ingredients

• 400 g paella rice
• About 1.5 litres chicken or meat stock (or water)
• 1-2 chicken thighs, in pieces (rabbit is the traditional alternative)
• 2-3 pork ribs, chopped small
• 10-20 green beans
• 1 can of butter beans
• 3 tomatoes, grated
• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1-2 tablespoons paprika (sweet or smoked)
• 0.5 g saffron (or food colouring powder)
• Optional: about 1 cup of mixed red and green pepper
• At least 1/2 cup olive oil

Method

1. Brown the vegetables (not the butter beans) in oil, then set them aside.
2. Brown the meat with the garlic in plenty of oil over medium heat until it leaves a deep golden layer on the bottom of the pan.
3. Take out the meat and cook the tomato with the paprika and saffron until it is thick and jammy. Return the meat and vegetables, add the stock and the butter beans, and bring everything to a boil.
4. For a deeper flavour you can skip the stock: add water instead and simmer just the meat and sauce (no vegetables yet) for about 40 minutes, topping up with water as it evaporates, so the meat makes its own broth.
5. When the liquid is boiling, add the rice and cook at medium heat for about 16 minutes. For the last minute or so, turn the heat up to crisp the bottom.
6. Cover with a towel and let the paella rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• Paella rice (or risotto rice if that is all you can find)
• Vegetable stock
• Red and green peppers
• Courgette (zucchini)
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Butter beans
• Cauliflower
• 1-2 tomatoes, or a small can of tomato puree
• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1-2 tablespoons paprika (sweet or smoked)
• A pinch of saffron
• A splash of white wine, brandy or water, for deglazing
• At least 1/2 cup olive oil

Method

1. Keep the stock warm on a low burner. On your biggest burner, heat olive oil in a wide pan and brown the chopped vegetables for 4-5 minutes, then move them to a bowl.
2. Deglaze with white wine, brandy or a little water. Add the saffron and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomato and cook it down to a sauce, with enough oil that it does not dry out.
4. Stir in the rice and toast it gently in the sauce for a minute or two over low heat.
5. Pour in the boiling stock, return the vegetables to the pan and start a 16-minute timer, which is roughly the full cooking time.
6. Cook on high for the first 4 minutes, then drop to medium-high. Do not stir, but shake the pan every 2 minutes so the rice does not stick. Keep some stock back for topping up.
7. By the end there should be almost no liquid left. For a crisp bottom, raise the heat for the final minute. Rice varies and altitude changes timing, so taste at 15 minutes and add a few spoonfuls of stock if it needs another minute or two.
8. Off the heat, cover with a towel or foil for 3-5 minutes to finish.

Ingredients

• 3 large potatoes
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 4-5 eggs
• 1 cup olive oil (regular, not extra virgin)
• Salt

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into irregular chunks. Chop the onion.
2. Warm the oil in a large frying pan, add the potatoes and onion and poach them gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are completely soft. Drain through a colander set over a large bowl and keep the oil.
3. Beat the eggs in another bowl and mix them into the warm potatoes with a generous pinch of salt. Heat a spoonful of the saved oil in a smaller pan, pour everything in and cook over low to medium heat, tucking the edges in with a spatula to form a cushion shape.
4. To turn it, cover the pan with a plate and flip it quickly, then slide the tortilla back in and cook for a few more minutes. Move it to a clean plate and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 150-200 g jamon serrano, very finely chopped
• 100 g plain flour
• 100 g unsalted butter (olive oil works too, but butter gives the best texture)
• 1 litre whole milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Breadcrumbs (stale baguette grated finely, or panko)
• Optional: 1/4 cup very finely chopped onion
• Optional: 1/4 cup finely grated Manchego
• Oil for frying (not extra virgin)
• Salt

Method

1. Melt the butter slowly over low heat. If you are using onion, cook it in the butter with the lid on for 5 minutes, without browning it.
2. Sprinkle in the flour gradually and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Keep it pale so the bechamel does not turn brown. Add the ham and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
3. Pour in the milk little by little, whisking constantly. You may not need all of it: aim for a thick bechamel that is still just pourable. Simmer on low for at least 10 minutes, stirring and adding milk as needed, until it pulls away from the sides of the pan as you stir.
4. Spread it on a plate or tray and let it cool completely.
5. Set out the breadcrumbs and the beaten eggs in two separate bowls (a coat of flour before the egg is optional).
6. With lightly wet hands, shape the cooled bechamel into croquettes of any size. Dip each one in egg and then in breadcrumbs, and repeat for an extra-crunchy crust.
7. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and serve straight away.

Ingredients

• 8 prawns, peeled and deveined
• 3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Smoked or hot paprika
• Optional: 1-2 dried cayenne chillies
• Salt
• Fresh bread, to serve

Method

1. Pat the prawns completely dry with kitchen paper.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan or a Spanish clay cazuela.
3. When the oil is hot, add the garlic (and chilli, if using) for 20-30 seconds, watching closely so the garlic does not burn.
4. Turn up the heat, add the prawns with a pinch of salt and cook for about a minute on each side. They cook fast, so do not overdo it.
5. Finish with a dusting of paprika and serve with sliced bread to soak up the garlicky oil.

Ingredients

• 1 kg mussels
• 3 tomatoes, grated or finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 cup sliced red and green pepper
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/4-1/2 cup white wine
• Olive oil
• Fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• Bread, to serve

Method

1. Scrub the mussels and pull off the beards.
2. Soften the sliced vegetables in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot with a lid. Add the tomato and cook it into a sauce for a few minutes, then add a splash of white wine and let it reduce.
3. Add the mussels, turn the heat to high, cover and cook for about 3 minutes until they open. Do not overcook them. Finish with chopped parsley and serve with bread for mopping up the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 kg mussels
• 1 jar of romesco sauce (about 900 g)
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Fresh parsley
• Bread, to serve

Method

1. Scrub the mussels and remove the beards.
2. Saute the finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a pot, add the chopped tomato and cook it down to a sauce.
3. Add the mussels, cover and cook until they open. Pour off some of the liquid, but not all of it.
4. Stir in the romesco sauce and the chopped parsley.
5. Serve in bowls with fresh bread.

Ingredients

• 1 kg mussels
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1/4 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup finely diced red and green pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Olive oil
• Vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Scrub the mussels and remove the beards.
2. Steam them in a pot just until they open (overcooked mussels turn rubbery), then drain and let them cool.
3. Dice the vegetables and dress them with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Leave for at least 15 minutes.
4. Twist off one shell half from each mussel, set them on a tray and spoon some vinaigrette over each.

Ingredients

• 8 small squid, cleaned
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, left whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Fry the whole garlic cloves in the warm oil over medium heat, then add the onions and bay leaves and season with salt. Cover and cook on medium-low until soft and translucent but not browned.
2. Take out the onions and add a little more oil to the pan. Sear the whole squid (cut larger ones into rings) for about 2 minutes.
3. Return the onions, pour in the wine, cover and simmer on medium for 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Finish with black pepper. A few cumin seeds make a fun variation.
4. If the wine disappears, add a splash of water. Serve on individual plates.

Ingredients

• 2 fresh pork sausages (casings removed, flattened with a fork)
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, left whole
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 1/2 cup cooking wine or brandy
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook the onion and garlic slowly in the olive oil, covered, with a pinch of salt, until soft.
2. Take them out and fry the mushrooms until their water has evaporated, then push them to one side. Add the sausage in pieces with a little more oil. When you turn the sausage, put the onions back, add the pine nuts and raisins and pour in the wine. Finish with pepper.
3. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring a few times. Serve hot.

Ingredients

• 400 g cooked chickpeas, drained
• 500 g fresh spinach
• 7 garlic cloves
• 2-3 slices of rustic bread (about 70 g)
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 125 ml water
• Olive oil and salt

Method

1. Wash and finely chop the spinach, and rinse the chickpeas.
2. Cut 3 garlic cloves and the bread into small strips and fry them in 2-3 tablespoons of oil until golden. Off the heat, stir in the cumin and paprika, then crush everything in a mortar with a little of the vinegar.
3. Fry the remaining garlic, add the spinach and saute for a few minutes. Then add the chickpeas and the crushed garlic and bread.
4. Season with salt and heat through for about 5 minutes, adding a splash of the water if it looks dry.

Ingredients

• 1 pork sirloin
• Salt, pepper and olive oil
• Baguette
• Log-shaped French goat cheese
• Fig jam
• Optional: chopped chives

Method

1. Season the sirloin with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Sear it in a pan over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, depending on its size, then rest it for at least 8 minutes. Slice it 1-1.5 cm thick.
2. Slice and lightly toast the baguette. Top each slice with a piece of pork, a slice of goat cheese and a small spoonful of fig jam, and finish with a sprinkle of chives.

Ingredients

• 300 g fresh salmon, diced small
• 1 lime (zest and a little juice)
• 1/2 green apple, finely diced
• About 8 mint leaves, minced, plus extra whole leaves
• A small handful of cilantro, minced
• Salt and pepper
• About 20 rice crackers

Method

1. Fry the rice crackers in oil beforehand, or use ready-made ones.
2. Dice the salmon and apple small and mix them with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the minced mint and cilantro and the lime zest, then add lime juice to taste.
4. Place a mint leaf on each cracker (it keeps the cracker crisp) and top with the tartare.

Ingredients

• 10 slices of cecina (or bresaola)
• 1 tub of cream cheese
• 1 slice of good blue cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup Pedro Ximenez sherry
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Olive oil

Method

1. Mash the blue cheese with the cream cheese and walnuts.
2. Halve each large slice of cecina.
3. Spoon some filling onto each piece, roll it up and arrange the rolls on a tray with raised edges.
4. Simmer the sherry with the sugar over medium-low heat, stirring, until it starts to thicken. Set it aside to cool.
5. Drizzle the rolls with olive oil and chill them. Spoon over the sherry reduction just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• Sobrassada
• Goat cheese (ideally rulo de cabra)
• Optional: honey

Method

1. Cut the pastry into pieces you can fold over a filling. Any shape works.
2. Put a little goat cheese and sobrassada on each piece, fold over and seal with a fork. Add a few drops of honey if you like.
3. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 C.
4. Serve soon after baking, when they are at their best.

Ingredients

• 1 piece of sobrassada
• Baguette
• Pine nuts
• Honey

Method

1. Slice the baguette (cutting on a slight angle looks nicer).
2. Spread sobrassada on each slice.
3. Warm it under the grill or with a kitchen torch.
4. Scatter on a few pine nuts and toast them very lightly, then finish with a teaspoon of honey.

Ingredients

• 6-8 cooked shrimp
• 1 cup cooked crab (imitation crab is fine)
• Optional: 1 cup cooked octopus or steamed mussels
• 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion or 1 spring onion
• 2 very good tomatoes
• 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Slice the onion thinly and the tomatoes into flat slices.
2. Cut the peppers into long, thin strips.
3. Toss the vegetables gently in a bowl with salt and pepper, then add the vinegar and oil.
4. Fold in the seafood.
5. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes so the flavours come together.

Ingredients

• About 2 cups desalted salt cod, flaked
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 sweet onion, very thinly sliced and soaked for 30 minutes in water with a little vinegar
• 2 tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup black or kalamata olives
• Dressing: 1 minced garlic clove, olive oil and sherry vinegar

Method

1. Arrange everything on one platter or on individual plates; presentation matters here.
2. Drizzle with a little of the garlic vinaigrette and serve cold.

Ingredients

• 4-6 tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 small piece of day-old bread
• Red wine vinegar
• A little lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Water
• Salt

Method

1. Peel and chop the onion and tomatoes.
2. Peel, deseed and chop the cucumber.
3. Chop both peppers.
4. Soak the bread in a splash of vinegar.
5. Blend everything with olive oil, adding water until it is the consistency you like.
6. Season with lemon juice and salt, then let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 litre milk
• Half a cinnamon stick
• 1-3 strips of lemon peel
• 2-3 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
• A little extra sugar, for the topping

Method

1. Beat the egg yolks, then whisk in the sugar for a couple of minutes until creamy.
2. Heat the milk with the cinnamon and lemon peel until it boils. Remove from the heat and fish out the cinnamon and peel.
3. Let the milk cool a little, then whisk it into the egg mixture.
4. Dissolve the cornflour in a splash of milk and whisk it in.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and is just about to boil.
6. Pour into a dish or individual ramekins, let it cool, then chill.
7. Before serving, sprinkle sugar on top and caramelise it briefly under a hot grill or with a kitchen torch.

Ingredients

• 1 peach
• 1 apple
• 2 oranges (slice one, juice the other)
• 1 lemon (use half; more can be too sharp)
• Optional: strawberries, pineapple or other fruit
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 shots of spirit or liqueur (rum, brandy, triple sec, vodka, gin...)
• 1-1.5 litres red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 small bottle of soda water or lemon soda
• Ice

Method

1. Slice the peach, apple, orange and lemon thinly.
2. Put the apple, orange, lemon and cinnamon stick in a jug, stir in the sugar and pour over the spirit. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the red wine and the juice of the second orange, then top up with soda water to taste.
4. Serve over ice with some fruit in each glass.