Spanish

Romesco sauce, a piquant mixture of chilies, nuts, and tomatoes, is a typical seasoning for seafood in the Catalan province of Tarragona. Although fresh coriander is not an ingredient found in the traditional Spanish pantry, its flavor lends a nice touch to this dish.

(Teules de Taronja) These crisp cookies are shaped like the terra-cotta roof tiles, teules (tejas in Castilian Spanish), that top village houses—old and new—throughout Spain. Almonds are a common ingredient in Catalan cookies, but we took another cue from the Moors and added candied orange.

A classic of the Balearic Islands, where lobster is found in abundance, this stew (known as caldereta) is intensely flavorful and fun to eat. Live lobster is essential, since the tomalley (liver) is a key ingredient. Serve the stew with plenty of crusty country-style bread.

Saffron lends authenticity to this fragrant dish, which draws its inspiration from the paellas of Spain. Serve a green salad alongside, and uncork a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

If you would rather use swordfish or sea bass, by all means do. Whatever the choice, grill some zucchini that have been quartered lengthwise, and toss egg noodles with butter and fresh black pepper. Then finish the meal with sliced strawberries topped with sour cream and brown sugar. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This classic Spanish egg-and-potato dish is similar to frittata. Team the tortilla with a green salad for a terrific brunch or lunch.

Majorcans love to talk about the quality of their vegetables, and this dish of sautéd eggplant, potatoes and bell peppers in fresh tomato sauce, called tumbet, is one of their favorite creations. We suggest serving it with grilled fish or lamb chops, as Majorcans do.

Known as coca, this is the traditional street food of Palma. The name derives from the Latin verb coquere, which means "to cook". Shaped in a long oval or rectangle, baked in a wood-fired oven and sold in room-temperature squares, coca is usually eaten as a snack, but it can also be a great starter for a casual meal. Unlike its Italian counterpart, it is covered only with vegetables, never with cheese. There are sweet cocas and special holiday versions, too. When made with frozen bread dough, coca is a snap to prepare.

A delicious tapa that is called flamenquines in Spanish. The precise origin of the name is unknown, but it is most certainly related to the term flamenco, which refers to any colorful dish native to Andalusia.

The following recipe takes the rice and vegetables of the classic paella (leaving behind its seafood) and transforms them into a flavorful filling for bell peppers.

"My grandmother, who was a successful restaurateur from C″rdoba, Spain, hesitantly relinquished her gazpacho recipe to me," says Lawrence Saez of San Francisco, CA. This nourishing cold soup is ideal for a hot summer day and is best enjoyed with a glass of Manzanilla Sherry.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

"I go to Spain frequently, and I've tried many kinds of paella there," says Bruce Cummings of Baltimore, Maryland. "Recently, though, I discovered an outstanding one right here in Baltimore, at Tio Pepe Restaurante."

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Serve this dish with French bread to get all the delicious sauce.

The Spanish sauce known as romesco is usually high in fat; this version contains less oil, but just as much flavor.