Best Spanish Recipes

This dish is an original recipe. It is a dish for spring, mixing winter and summer ingredients into a bright, flavoursome combination. Its colour, scent, textures and taste are all designed to wake up the senses after the winter lull. Try it at sunset after a day of sun and some showers.

Cava originates from Catalonia, and so does this dish, delicious as a main, a side to game or fish or as part of contemporary creations. Initially prepared as a way to use a day-old half bottle of flat left-over cava, it has been adopted by contemporary Catalan cuisine as an indigenous new dish that combines european influences with local produce and years of rich winemaking history. Today Arroz al Cava can be found in the best restaurants, where it is made using only the best Spanish paella rice and the most sought-after Cava vintages.

I created this dish last year for a Christmas dinner. Based on a the traditional recipe and adding some oriental inspiration while using only traditional Spanish ingredients, the results are surprising yet somehow familiar. A very successful creation, guaranteed to excel at any occasion.

Contemporary salad recipe inspired by a trend towards healthier options and new forms of using traditional ingredients. The base pepper-based medley known as a vinagreta which typically appears as accompaniment to fish fillets or mussels becomes the main attraction, almost relegating the delicate octopus to a supporting role.