Hog's Blog

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, a lovely bowl of steaming lentils with a burst of chorizo flavour is like getting a big warm hug. This can be served as a main dish, with some bread on the side, or is a lovely side for any firm, white fish or salmon.

Warm up with this bold blend of piquillo peppers (Spanish roasted red peppers), tomato and smoked paprika. This hearty, flavourful soup will brighten the dreariest of days. Great for making ahead, this soup is best served hot with some rustic bread or breadsticks.

This is a great salad to serve as a starter or as a tapas dish. It's vibrant and refreshing with sharpness from the red wine vinegar and the olives, along with the meaty texture of the octopus. Traditionally, this salad is made with fresh or frozen octopus, but we think using tinned octopus is a smart short cut, especially this chargrilled option from Gueyu Mar. 

Berenjenas Rellenas (Stuffed Eggplant) are roasted eggplant loaded with meat and cheese. The traditional Spanish recipe is proof that big, bold flavours are easy to achieve with a simple list of quality ingredients. This version uses ground beef seasoned with pimenton de la vera (smoked paprika) to impart a rich, smoky flavour, and is topped with Manchego cheese.

una stuffed piquillo peppers are a traditional Spanish tapas dish that are really easy to make. The great thing about them, aside from being ready in under 15 minutes, is they are quite a substantial dish, given the protein from the tuna. The key to this dish, as with many simple Spanish recipes, is using really good quality ingredients. A great way of serving these is as a montadito, on a slice of toasted baguette. 

Asparagus wrapped with serrano ham is one of our favourite dishes for a quick, light lunch or brunch dish. We like to serve it with a soft egg as well - fried, poached or soft boiled all work well. Add some toasted bread if you like too.

We our proud to have the widest selection of jamón in Canada. WIth so much to choose from, we know it can be a bit overwhelming and can leave you feeling a bit confused about what to buy. If you are new to Spanish ham or just need some guidance, keep reading! Here are our top picks, the best jamón in each category - Ibérico de Bellota, Ibérico de Cebo and Serrano. 

If you’ve passed by the canned seafood section at the grocery store, it may conjure less-than-appetizing associations in your mind of tinned fish. Canned seafood is available in a wide range of quality so splurging for high quality conservas is not only a fun way to experience Spanish culture but may also convince even the most staunch cynic that tinned fish can be a truly delicious, crave-able pantry staple.

This is a popular vegetable dish from central Spain made with zucchini, onion, red peppers and tomato, similar to a French ratatouille. This version includes jamon serrano, but for a vegetarian version, simply leave it out. Pisto Manchego makes a great tapas dish alongside some good bread, or served as a vegetable side dish with meat or fish

This is a really simple tapas dish bursting with the smokey paprika flavour of the chorizo and the richness of red wine. It’s a ridiculously easy dish to make and it’s an impressive addition to any tapas spread, especially when you want to add a few hot dishes to your selection.

If you have ever been to a Tapas bar in Spain you will have seen rows of montaditos on the counter – pieces of bread topped with a myriad of interesting and colourful toppings. The term montadito comes from the word montar, meaning to mount, as a reference to the toppings mounted on top of the bread. One of our favourite combinations is tuna loin, piquillo peppers (roasted red peppers) and guindilla.

Pulpo a la Gallega or Galician-Style Octopus is a classic dish of sliced boiled potatoes, small round slices of octopus, paprika, sea salt and olive oil, generally served as a heartier tapa. It comes from Galicia, the northwestern corner of Spain and one of Spain’s culinary centers, especially known for its seafood. We’re cheating a bit with this recipe as we’re using tinned octopus instead of preparing the octopus ourselves, but in our opinion it works beautifully and well.