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Our "meat" dish this week is something that's a bit of a reimagined classic. It's basically a dish called Carrilladas de Ternera (or Carrilleras de Ternera if you aren't in Southern Spain.) It's a dish of beef cheeks braised in sherry, then served with the reduced cooking liquid. It's great, and I've seen it on plenty of menus in Spain. My BEEF & SHERRY MONTADITOS will be darn similar to this dish, with only a few small changes and additions. First, I'll be braising chuck in sherry rather than the richer beef cheeks, so this won't feel nearly as heavy. I'll also be garnishing this with some pickled peppers and garlic aioli to give some much needed contrast. And the big difference is how you'll be serving this: I'm taking a page out of the trendier tapas spots and serving this montadito style (montadito means little mountains.) I'll be recommending that you serve this on top of some crusty bread, and yes, there is bread on this menu (find out about it at the end.) Slow braised beef with a punchy sherry reduction, changed just so from the traditional version to be even better? Sounds good to me.

GAMBAS AL AJILLO might be the most famous tapa outside of Spain, so it probably needs no introduction. But in case you've never heard of it, here's the rundown: seafood is quite abundant in most areas of Spain, but even with the huge variety that Spaniards have access to, the humble shrimp is still a favorite. This dish is a very popular preparation all over Spain, probably because it's so good. The shrimp are simmered in olive oil with plenty of fresh garlic, a little lemon, and finished off with some sherry wine. My method for this dish is a bit of a hybrid between the standard, super-traditional preparation, and a very similar Italian dish, creating something that can be enjoyed either at room temperature or warm.

If you've never had a Spanish tortilla, I imagine you've at least heard of it. It has absolutely nothing to do with a Mexican tortilla that you'd use for tacos, this dish is basically a thick omelet that's got a big dose of potatoes and onions. I haven't actually checked every restaurant menu in Spain, but I bet you $1000 that every place that serves tapas serves this dish. It's that important to the tapas experience. While they say you can't improve on the classics, I'm going to put that notion to the test with my LEEK & SCALLION SPANISH TORTILLA. I'll be making this dish just like the classic version, with the small but important addition of leeks and scallions, bringing it closer to something that might be served in France (which isn't a bad thing at all.) The leeks and scallions add a bit of savory bite that makes this dish even more delicious, and I'll be serving this with a classic red pepper and almond sauce called romesco, which is a sauce so good you could eat a shoe if it had enough romesco on it. Savory egg and potato omelet ramped up just a bit and served with fantastic sauce... you really can't go wrong.

I want to round things out with some vegetable dishes too (you have to eat your vegetables if you want to have any cheesecake), and SPINACH WITH GARBANZOS is a big deal in Seville. It's something that's not super trendy around here, but it's really special and common there. This dish is, at its core, just spinach and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) cooked just right and seasoned just so. To accentuate things just enough without changing what this dish is, I'll be doing a version that also incorporates some toasted almonds and cumin, with smoked paprika too. This is a warm dish that might seem unexciting on paper, but it shines in real life.

Last but certainly not least, we have PAN DE CRISTAL & TOMATOES. Pan de Cristal, or "glass bread," is a Catalan bread that has a firm, slightly boring exterior and a soft, chewy interior with lots of big holes. It's unique and wonderful. I'll be making this from scratch myself of course (like all of my breads) and serving it with some grated tomatoes dressed with really good garlic olive oil to serve alongside the bread. This bread and tomato combo is a classic in Spain, and the bread will be great for swooping up any sauces from the other dishes too. Bread is great, and homemade fancy bread is even better.

If you're into food, you've almost certainly heard of BASQUE CHEESECAKE. It's all over the instagram and the tiktok and whatever else the kids are all about these last few years, and it does look pretty cool. As it happens it also tastes pretty darn good, which is why we're having it this week. This is a rich cheesecake that's cooked at very high heat with no crust. What that means is that the top and the edges are very, very caramelized and the center is soft and tender. While this is often served as-is in Spain, I'll be doing a simple citrus-blackberry sauce to go along with it, brightening up the whole experience without taking away from the simple punchy flavors of the cheesecake. If you've seen this cheesecake online or whatever and have never had one, now is your chance!