Tapas
& Paella

Ingredients

• 1–2 French baguettes
• 2 packs heirloom tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, halved
• Good Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt

Method

These won't be pre-prepped. Set the ingredients on the table and let people build their own — toast bread, rub garlic, rub tomato, oil, salt.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 24 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 dried chiles de árbol (or ½ tsp red pepper flakes)
• ½ cup dry sherry
• 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• Salt, flat-leaf parsley, lemon wedges

Method

1. Pat shrimp dry. Season with salt and paprika.
2. Add olive oil and garlic to a cold wide skillet. Add chiles. Heat slowly to medium-low — let garlic infuse without browning, 3–4 min.
3. Raise to high. Add shrimp in a single layer. Cook 1–2 min per side until pink. Work in batches if needed.
4. Add sherry, sizzle 30 seconds. Scatter parsley. Serve in the pan with bread alongside.

Ingredients

• 2½ lbs potatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 12 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add potatoes, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium-low, turning gently, until just tender — about 25 min. Do not brown.
2. Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Drain potatoes, reserve the oil. Mix warm potatoes into eggs. Let sit 15 min — critical step.
3. Return pan to medium with 2 tbsp reserved oil. Add mixture. When edges firm (1 min), reduce to medium-low. Cook 5 min.
4. Slide onto a plate. Cover with a second plate, invert. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, slide tortilla back in. Cook 5 min. Slide onto a clean plate. Serve at room temperature — do not refrigerate.

Vegetables

• Asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• Eggplant, sliced ½" rounds
• Red peppers, whole
• Shishito peppers

• Olive oil, flaky salt, lemon
• Garlic, fresh parsley

Method

Asparagus

• Toss with olive oil and salt.
• Grill on high 3–4 min, turning once, until tender and charred.
• Finish with lemon zest and flaky salt.

Eggplant

• Salt rounds generously, lay on paper towels 20 min. Pat dry.
• Brush with olive oil. Grill on high 4 min per side until charred and tender.
• Dress with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh parsley. Serve at room temp.

Red Peppers

• Grill whole directly on a high flame, turning until fully charred all over.
• Drop in a covered bowl, steam 15 min. Peel, seed, and slice.
• Dress with olive oil and flaky salt. Better at room temp than hot.

Shishito Peppers

• Heat a dry heavy skillet over high until very hot.
• Add shishitos. Toss constantly until blistered, 3–4 min.
• Finish with flaky salt. Serve immediately — these must be eaten hot.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups Bomba rice
• 7½ cups hot vegetable stock
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 16–24 mussels, scrubbed & debearded
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tomatoes, grated (discard skins)
• 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 40 saffron threads + splash dry sherry
• ½ cup dry sherry
• Salt, pepper, parsley, lemon wedges

Method

Build the sofrito — don't rush it

1. Heat oil in the pan over medium. Add onion and pepper. Cook until very soft, 8 min.
2. Add garlic, cook 2 min. Add grated tomato and paprika. Stir and cook until thick and jammy, 5–8 min. This is your flavor foundation.

Add the rice

1. Add rice, stir to coat in sofrito, 2 min. Add all hot stock at once. Stir once only. Season the liquid generously. Do not stir again.
2. Cook medium-high, undisturbed. At 10 min taste and adjust seasoning.

Seafood & socarrat

1. When rice is mostly absorbed but still slightly wet (~15 min), nestle mussels hinge-down. Lay shrimp on top.
2. Cook until shrimp are pink and mussels open, ~5 min more. Discard any mussels that stay closed.
3. Last 1–2 min: raise heat. Listen for faint crackling — that's the socarrat. Pull when toasty but not burnt. Rest 10 min off heat. Serve from the pan.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups Bomba rice
• 7½ cups hot chicken stock
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 4 soft chorizo links (Bilbao or Palacios), sliced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tomatoes, grated (discard skins)
• 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 40 saffron threads + splash dry sherry
• ½ cup dry sherry
• Salt, pepper, parsley, lemon wedges

Method

Brown the proteins

1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium-high. Brown chicken skin-down, 4 min without moving. Flip, 3 min. Remove.
2. Brown chorizo lightly in the same pan, 2 min. Remove.

Build the sofrito

1. Reduce to medium. In the same pan, cook onion and pepper until soft, 8 min. Add garlic 2 min. Add tomato and paprika, cook until jammy, 5–8 min.

Rice & socarrat

1. Add rice, coat in sofrito, 2 min. Add all hot stock at once. Stir once. Return chicken skin-up and chorizo. Season generously. Do not stir again.
2. Cook medium-high, undisturbed, 20–25 min. At 15 min watch for socarrat — crackling from the bottom, toasty smell. Lower heat slightly if it smells close to burning.
3. Chicken should be cooked through. Rest 10 min off heat. Serve from the pan.