Fried potatoes - patatas fritas, fried in olive oil like everything else - are usually good; the local way of fixing potatoes is "patatas a lo pobre" (potatoes poor man's style) which is delicious but only for those who don't mind large amounts of olive oil!

        The Spanish eat lots of eggs, but never boiled - they either fry them (huevos fritos) or make an omelette - tortilla (no relation to the Mexican variety). There are two basic kinds of omelette - "tortilla española" and "tortilla francesa". The Spanish type is a potato omelette, with lots of potato and onions - delicious, very filling and always a good stand-by if you don't know what else to order (it's often served cold, in wedges, as a tapa).

        Ham is the great delicacy here, but not the cooked kind you're used to, which, strangely, is called York Ham - jamón de York (pronounced ha-MON-day-YOR). The local cured variety is similar to Jambon de Bayonne or Parma Ham, and is called jamón serrano, mountain-cured ham. Try a bit to see if you like it, it's delicious but takes getting used to - here we like it on the pink, raw side, but in the cities you can get the more cured varieties. Ideally, Spanish ham should be sweet rather than salty.

BREAD
        Real Spanish Bread Recipe Written by José Luís Real.   First, you need 1&1/2 TBS of bread yeast, 3 cups warm water, 7 cups of white flour, two teaspoons of salt, 1/4 cup butter or olive oil (olive oil is better). Mix the yeast in the warm water let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix the salt with the flour and run through a fine mesh, allowing it to fall into a large bowl. Using your fingers, mix in the oil or butter. Slowly pour in the raised yeast while working the dough with your hands so as to produce a firm dough. Place the dough on a flat surface with some flour sprinkled on it. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic. Grease the bowl and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl with a moist sheet and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume. Once again, remove the dough and knead it again over a floured tabletop, to remove air pockets and until the dough feels smooth. Return the dough to a covered bowl and let it rest. 15 minutes should be sufficient. Cut the dough as desired to form bars, loafs or balls and place on greased pans. Cut slits in top of bread as desired. Let bread raise on pans 30 more minutes or until the tops of the bars begin to flatten. Place in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 30 o 50 minutes, or until the tops of the bars become toasted and they sound hollow when knocked on the bottom. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool. This recipe comes from a panadero. It may not come out exactly right the first time, but with practices the results are incredible. I've made a few mistakes, but now it comes out perfect and has that panadería flavor. Please feel free to share this recipe with your friends, as long as it keeps the author's name. Thanks!

FLAN
         Source: Renee Murray Carmelize 3/4 cup sugar in pan. In a separate bowl beat six eggs until lemon colored. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 quart milk (whole), and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into pan (on top of the carmelized sugar). Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour (or longer) until knife inserted in flan comes out clean. This is the real stuff, smooth and light. Renee

PAELLA

1/3 cup of Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, minced
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3-5 tbsps minced fresh parsley
1 generous pinch of saffron
2 tbsps of chicken bullion
3 skinless Chicken Breasts, cut in large chunks
2 green peppers, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tsp of yellow food coloring (optional -- saffron is very expensive, a pinch
of it is all you need for taste but a richer color is desired)
8 oz tomatoe sauce
1 tsp sugar
4 cups of rice
7 cups of water
salt
1/2 lb - 1 lb shrimp, leave shell on
1 lb scallops

Saute onion, parsley, and garlic in olive oil until the onion begins to become transparent. Add saffron, chicken bullion, chicken, peppers and saute until chicken has become white. Add tomatoe sauce, sugar, food coloring. Stir. Add rice & water and bring to boil. Salt to taste. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp & scallops, boil an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. If the rice appears to be getting too dry during the last 10 minutes, add more water. If the rice is too wet at the end of the 10 minutes, uncover and evaporate unwanted liquid.
ENJOY!

TORTILLA DE PATATAS
    The tortilla is a way of life in Spain (and worth it!) For 4 to 6 persons: 1 cup olive oil, four large potatos (peel and cut in circles about 2mm thick; salt to taste; one large onion, thinly sliced; four large eggs. Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion. Heat the oil in a 9-inch skillet, add potatos, one slice at a time so that they don't stick. Alternate layers of potato and onion. COOK slowly, medium flame. DO NOT FRY!! Turn ocasionally until potatoes are tender, but NOT brown. They must be loose, not "in a cake". Beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Salt to taste. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to beaten eggs, pressing them so that eggs cover them completely. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in large skillet. Add potates-egg mixture, spreading quickly.Lower the heat to medium-high.Shake pan to prevet sticking (crucial step!!) When potatoes start to brown, put a plate on skillet and turn around, adding another tbsp of oil. Brown on the other side. Can flip three or four times for better cooking. Serve with Marques de Caceres or Vega Sicilia (forget about French wines.)