Recipes

There’s something remarkable about the way certain dishes trigger vivid memories: of people, places, certain times of the year, smells, flavours, conversations … they can bring back all the details of experiences we thought we’d forgotten.

This gorgeous recipe is a stew I just love. It’s not dissimilar to the pisto recipe that you may know from my book Spanish Flavours, but this one has a rich autumnal tone thanks to the pumpkin and chickpeas.

Makes 24 Takes 40 minutes plus chilling

“For maximum flavour marinate the prawns overnight, but if you don’t have time an hour will be sufficient.”

This is Estrella Damm Chef Ambassador José Pizarro’s take on calamari, a dish loved by Brits across the country, made better with the addition of flavours from the Mediterranean, inspired by the beer of Barcelona.

Back in Extremadura, pumpkin is traditionally cooked in stews or soups, but serving it raw is just heaven for me. The particular combination of flavours in this recipe warms the soul, and is very special.

Semifreddo could not be easier to make.

In my dad’s vegetable garden, we have the most elegant and stunning walnut tree that produces walnuts for us all year round. Walnuts were a type of candy for me when I was little.

Perfect for a special occasion at home

Let José bring Spanish sunshine into your kitchen with this delicious tapas recipe.

Serves 6–8

Makes about 35 | Takes 1 hour

This lovely dish is inspired by the Basque country in northern Spain.

Serves 6

I always get so excited about the start of British asparagus season; I think I inherited this from my late dad, who loved going to pick asparagus, especially the wild variety.

I have experimented with different flavours over the years, trying crema Catalana with coffee, cardamom, vanilla and more. But in the end, I think the traditional one is the best.

This dish is mostly eaten at Easter; cod is very popular in Spain, although the majority comes from the stunning waters of Norway. I recently went fishing there and had the most wonderful time – I even caught 10 kg (22 lbs) of fish!

Inspired by Fish & Chips by José Pizarro