Sangría de cava (Champagne Sangria)

This recipe is not for kids! Fresh and dry, this drink will make those really hot summer days much more enjoyable, especially while you´re sitting on your balcony watching the sunset with a joint in your hand having a nice conversation. Which sounds like a perfect day to me.. Or you can just prepare it to complement a beautiful seafood dinner. Anyway, you must be careful because you´ll get drunk real fast on this and the hangover can be amazing. And probably not in a good way.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

In Morocco, most meals begin with a selection of “kemia,” or small bites, and salads. A simple meal will begin with, say, three salads, while an elaborate meal may start with an impressive platter of more than a dozen.

Today I'm going to show you a simple but flavorful (and nutritious) chickpea salad with onions and paprika.

Guacamole

The avocado is a thing of beauty. Creamy, rich and sensuous, it tastes delicious whether in a salad of ginger prawns, plum tomatoes and basil, or just eaten straight out the shell with a little salt.
This recipe celebrates its use in a dish that has been eaten in one form or another in Meso-America for over 500 years.
Originally just avocados mashed with some sea salt in a pestle and mortar, Guacamole (from an Aztec dialect via Nahuatl āhuacamoll, which literally translates to "avocado sauce", from āhuacatl (="avocado") +molli (="sauce") has many variants, the most well-known being with the addition of tomato and lemon juice. This is a direct descendent of Mantequilla de pobre ('poor man's butter') which consisted of mashed avocados, oil, tomato and citrus juice. 
There isn't really a right or a wrong way to make Guacamole, you can customise it to your own liking, but the avocado carries flavours so well that it's great as the base for a dish with a big, punchy taste.
Try to use Hass avocados, which are fattier and have a stronger flavour.

Tortilla de patatas (potato omelette)

This one will require a little bit of your natural cooking skill. It won't take you more than forty-five minutes to make. The spanish omelette is one of the most famous recipes in Spain, with a lot of variations. Usually we make the “tortilla española” with eggs, potatoes, onions and olive oil, but sometimes we use also peppers, green asparagus or even “chorizo” (red sausage).

History

The first reference to the tortilla in Spanish is found in a Navarrese document. It is an anonymous "Mousehole's memorial" addressed to Navarra's Court in 1817. It explains the sparse conditions of the farmers in contrast with Pamplona's and the Ribera's inhabitants.

After listing the sparse food eaten by highlanders, the next quote follows: "…two to three eggs in tortilla for 5 or 6 [people] as our women do know how to make it big and thick with less eggs, mixing potatoes, breadcrumbs or whatever."

According to legend, during the siege of Bilbao, Carlist general Tomás de Zumalacárregui created the "tortilla de patatas" as an easy, fast and nutritious dish to satisfy the scarcities of the Carlist army. Although it remains unknown whether this is true, it appears the tortilla started to spread during the early Carlist wars.

Another tale is that during the war, Zumalacárregui was in the field and happened upon a farmhouse and demanded a meal from the farmwife. All she had were a few eggs, a potato and an onion, so she combined all three, making an omelette. Surprisingly, Zumalacárregui was pleased and took the idea with him.

Melon soup

And today a classic summer soup. I'm pretty sure that there will be lots of variants for this recipe. I'm going to show the one I prefer. It won't take you more than ten minutes to prepare it. Really cold from the fridge and without having to use the fire to make it.   

Baked or Grilled Escalivada

Ok guys. This one will take more time but less work than the previous ones. It's perfect to eat with toasted bread or with red meat or fish.

Since the name of this dish comes from the Catalan word escalivar, meaning “to roast over ashes or embers,” it is traditional to cook this over a real flame. If you can’t though, you can bake these in the oven with good results as well.

Pa amb tomàquet (Bread with tomatoes)

Today's recipe is even easier than the Andalusian Gazpacho. It won't take you more than five minutes to prepare and the results are just "wow"!

Pa amb tomàquet, (in English, "Bread with tomato"), or pa amb oli, "Bread with olive oil", is a simple recipe that is typical of the style found in Catalonia, Majorca and Valencia.

History

The origin of this dish is disputed, as the tomato is relatively new to Catalan cuisine (the crop wasn't introduced from America until after the 15th century). Widely regarded as the epitome of Catalan cuisine and identity, some sources claim it is actually a relatively recent dish (mid to late 19th century) to arrive on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

The dish shares some similarities with the tomato and olive oil rubbed Ħobż biz-Zejt of Malta and the Pan-bagnat of Nice, a version is eaten in Provence, France and of course the name that most people are familiar with - the tomato topped version of Italian bruschetta.

Andalusian Gazpacho

This is an easy one. 
It won't take you more than twenty minutes of work, but first let me introduce you to the dish and its history.

The Dish

Is a tomato-based, vegetable soup traditionally served cold, originating in the southern region of Andalucía. Gazpacho has an important place in Spanish cuisine, as well as in neighboring Portugal, where it is known as gaspacho. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its refreshing qualities and cold serving temperature.

History

Gazpacho has ancient roots. There are a number of theories about its origin, including as an Arab soup of bread, olive oil, water and garlic that arrived in Spain and Portugal with the Moors, or via the Romans with the addition of vinegar. Once in Spain it became a part of Andalusian cuisine, particularly in Córdoba and Seville, using stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar, similar to ajoblanco.