Spanish food with chorizo ​​and octopus

Experimentation can lead to valuable insights, and the guinea pigs used for this purpose appeared to have endured quite a bit. This observation might be linked to the availability of good-quality white wine at an affordable price.

This experience serves as my personal exploration of Spanish cuisine as I perceive it. I refrain from passing judgment, but many people have a narrow view of Spanish food, often equating it solely with tapas.

The common image of tapas includes small portions of cheese, sliced sausages, inexpensive ham, and other bite-sized items. While tapas is indeed a part of Spanish culture, Spanish food encompasses a lot more.

For me, true Spanish cuisine includes hearty dishes featuring braised oxtails, a variety of shellfish, fresh fish, squid, and bacalao. It also involves ingredients like chorizo, rabbit, and pig's feet, often enriched with flavors from cinnamon and oranges. This broader perspective on Spanish food differs from the limited view many people hold.

The dish I aim to create embodies what I envision Spanish food to be. It is a straightforward recipe, allowing for some variation. The key is to combine ingredients from the sea with those from the land without resorting to the typical surf and turf, which often means steak paired with lobster.

This dish can be prepared in about 45 minutes, but this time frame is made easier by the availability of pre-cooked squid arms here. This option is incredibly tasty and serves as a convenient shortcut for a quick meal. However, this specific variety may be challenging to find in Denmark.

If sourcing the pre-cooked squid arms proves difficult, one might opt for ten-armed squid, or sepia, which is commonly found in batter and deep-fried.

This alternative still yields delicious results. You can ask your fishmonger to clean the squid, and then it’s simply a matter of slicing and frying. Alternatively, fresh squid arms similar to what I used in this dish are a great choice.

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