Spanish

If you only have sweet Spanish smoked paprika on hand, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of it with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne as a substitute for hot Spanish smoked paprika.

In Spain, boquerones can be a variety of small fish, pickled or not. In the U.S., however, the term always refers to anchovies that have been pickled in vinegar (which whitens them). They have a flavor similar to pickled herring, which complements the sweetness of the roasted peppers.

Erin Rutherford of Charlotte, North Carolina, writes: "This sauce was a hit with my supper club — I served it with filet mignon encrusted in black pepper, cumin, and sea salt, and it was killer. It would also pair well with swordfish."

Chocolate a la Taza Light and tender buñuelos de viento are often dipped into chocolate a la taza, a hot chocolate drink thick enough to coat them.

This sweetly refreshing summer cooler contains no alcohol, but the wild-berry tea and pureed strawberries give it that sangria color. For guests who prefer their beverages a bit more spirited, B. Smith recommends adding white Muscat or light rum to taste.

When the use of chocolate became common in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, chocolaterías opened in Madrid, serving hot chocolate to weary voyagers and the homeless. In Spain, the warming elixir is distinguished by the addition of spice, but especially by its rich, frothy texture, achieved by heating and beating it several times. Traditionally, a wooden hand mill called a molinillo is used, but a whisk works as well.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Start the meal with gazpacho, then offer crusty bread, marinated green and black olives, and sangria with the salad. End with raspberries atop vanilla custards.

This recipe—inspired by a similar dish served at the fabulously fast-paced lunch counter Cal Pep, in Barcelona, Spain—is terrific with pork chops or roast chicken. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. To go with the chicken, toss some greens with lemon vinaigrette, mix fresh chopped parsley into rice pilaf and cut a crusty load of bread into thick slices. Cantaloupe doused with sweet Marsala is a great finish.

When I was asked to be the guest chef for a meal honoring Sr. Alvarez del Manzano, the mayor of Madrid, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, the menu included this classic Spanish tart. It is so rich and moist, it needs no more garnish than a little natillas [crèeme anglais] and a dusting of powdered sugar.

When we think of gazpacho most of us think of a cold chunky tomato-based soup. But this world-renowned export from the Andalucian region of Spain is actually one of many different types of soup — cold, hot, thin, red, green and white — which share the name gazpacho. White gazpacho remains closer than most modern varieties to the soup's origins as a simple combination of bread, nuts, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. Cucumbers, grapes and a pinch of cayenne elevate what was once a poor man's meal to a refined soup.

Escalivada Served hot, at room temperature, or chilled, this versatile vegetable mélange shows up frequently on Catalan menus. We love to use Unió, a fragrant, peppery oil made from the region's arbequina olives, both for cooking this dish and for drizzling over it.

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo Offer this with the Mexican White Rice cooked with two whole serrano chiles (remove the chiles before serving the rice). To devein the shrimp while leaving the shells intact, use kitchen shears or scissors to cut down the center of each shell from the head end of the shrimp toward the tail. Open the shell slightly and remove the vein using the tip of a small, sharp knife.

Churros are a Spanish classic, usually sold in street-side shops and quickly transported home or to a local café to enjoy with thick hot chocolate. They're made with a piece of equipment called a churrera, which is a type of pastry tube.

Spaghetti stands in for rice in this version of the Spanish favorite.

Generally this dish is served in Andalusia as part of a mixed fish fry, but it's wonderful on its own. The marinade makes the fish flavorful and succulent.