Panceta, cured pork belly (avg 450g)

This cured meat and white bean stew must be one of Spain’s most famous dishes and yet it is one of the most simplistic

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to a dish to die for – Madrid-style beef tripe stew. I’m not joking: I’ve seen people fighting for the last plate of this incredible stew. Be aware – you need to have a taste for gelatinous types of food, as this dish is all about that. As you will have gathered by now, in Spain turning the ugly parts of the animal into something beautiful. The hardest part will be shopping for the ingredients; the preparation itself is very simple.

If you want to bring any seafood paella or dish to the next level, there isn’t a shortcut for it, you need to master this technique.

Made with the leftovers from the “cocido” stew, it contains a lot of different meats and chickpeas, but really it is the broth that results from the simmer of all those ingredients what gives this dish it’s distinctive flavour which is finished in the oven.

Across Spain we combine a variety of leavened breads, rolls and flatbreads with other ingredients. This version reminds me of a British ‘toad in the hole’, but made with a focaccia-like bread instead of batter. All the rendered fats from the meats are absorbed into the bread, resulting in a very indulgent experience.