PREP PLAN

One Week Before

Prepare brandied cherries

Two to Three Days Before

Prepare romesco sauce

Bake cake

Chill wine for sangria

One Day Before

Mix chilled wine and the Cointreau for sangria; chill punch, sherry, and seltzer

The Day Of

Prep ingredients for paella

Toast baguette slices and rub with garlic

Bring romesco to room temperature

Whip cream for dessert

Just Before Guests Arrive

Heat grill (or grill pan); grill leeks

Finish pan tomate with toppings

Roast figs

Stir together sangria in a pitcher

Cook paella

Albariño Sangria Spritz Cocktails

Bright, zesty, crisp white Albariño is an especially nice choice for sangria, especially if you are eating outside on a warm summer night.

1 bottle (750 milliliters) Albariño, chilled

1 cup Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)

1 lime, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 orange, thinly sliced

3 cups seltzer, chilled

Stir together wine, Cointreau, lime, lemon, and orange. Divide among ice-filled glasses. Top each with seltzer.

Sherry with Olives

For those who don’t like sangria (hard to believe, but such people do exist), here’s another drink from Spain that pairs perfectly with tapas and paella.

1 bottle (750 milliliters) dry sherry, such as fino or manzanilla, chilled

1 jar (5 ounces) Spanish olives, pitted (plain or stuffed with pimientos, almonds, or garlic)

Pour sherry into small glasses, add 2 or 3 olives to each, and serve.

SANGRIA 101

One of the ultimate good-time drinks of summer, sangria is, at its heart, a blend of wine, fruit, seltzer, and sometimes brandy. It’s a drink built for variation: Some sangrias include fruit-flavored liqueurs; others call for fruit juices. Sangria is most often made with red wine, but, as in this recipe, those made with white, rosé, or sparkling wines are just as delicious.

Although sangria was originally made with Rioja wine, you can use just about any dry red wine. Other (non-Spanish) good choices include Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, and Sangiovese. For white sangria, try dry white wines such as Albariño, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.

Chill the bottle of wine thoroughly before using; this will help prevent the ice from melting too quickly in the glass and diluting the taste. To allow the flavors to blend, make and refrigerate the punch up to a day ahead of time, adding ice and seltzer just before serving.

Pan Tomate

One of the simplest and best-known tapas is pan tomate, or tomato bread. It’s delicious all on its own, but it also makes a great vehicle for a few more substantial pre-dinner snacks, like Serrano ham, or the white anchovies known as boquerones; both are widely available exports from Spain. Other nice additions are Cabrales (a Spanish blue cheese), and Roasted Dried Figs (recipe follows).

1 baguette, cut into 24 (½-inch) slices

¼ cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise

4 Roma tomatoes

  Coarse salt

  Serrano ham, thinly sliced, for serving

  Boquerones, drained, patted dry, and halved lengthwise, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lay bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet and brush cut sides with oil. Toast until lightly golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub each piece of bread with the cut side of a garlic clove.

2. Grate tomatoes on the large holes of a grater, discarding the skins. Season with salt. Spoon 1 teaspoon tomato over each piece of bread. Arrange a small slice of ham or a boquerone over tomato and serve.

Roasted Dried Figs

Roasting brings out the richness in these bite-size salty-sweet flavor bombs. Any dried fig will do; the two most common varieties are Black Mission and Turkish.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheet

1 tablespoon honey

1 pound dried figs, halved if large

4 sprigs thyme

½ teaspoon flaky salt, such as Maldon

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Whisk oil and honey in a large bowl. Add figs; toss to coat.

2. Arrange figs in a single layer on prepared sheet and scatter thyme sprigs on top. Sprinkle with salt. Roast until fragrant and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let figs cool slightly before serving.

Charred Leeks with Romesco

Romesco sauce is a Catalonian classic with a nutty texture and a flavor made earthy with charred red peppers and smoked paprika. It’s a great dip for vegetables as well as a sauce served alongside grilled chicken, meat, or fish.

2 red bell peppers

1 small garlic clove, smashed

½ cup blanched almonds, toasted

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

6 large leeks, stems trimmed but attached, halved lengthwise and rinsed well

1. Char peppers over the flame of a gas stove, turning with tongs, until blackened and blistered. (Or char under broiler on a rimmed baking sheet, turning as needed.) Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate, and let steam 15 minutes. Remove skins, using paper towels (and a paring knife for any stubborn spots); discard. Remove and discard stems, ribs, and seeds.

2. Transfer peppers to a food processor. Add garlic, almonds, vinegar, tomato paste, and pimentón. Pulse until combined. With machine running, slowly add oil, processing until combined. Season with salt. (Romesco can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; serve at room temperature.)

3. Heat grill pan over medium-high. Brush leeks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in 3 batches, flipping every few minutes until leeks are charred in places and soft, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and serve with a bowl of romesco.

Paella

You may be tempted to grab any old short-grained rice to make paella, but treat yourself to Spanish Bomba rice, which absorbs liquid and flavors without getting sticky. And speaking of treats, don’t forget the saffron, whose prized slender threads are essential to this Spanish national treasure.

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  Large pinch of saffron

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

  Flaky salt, such as Maldon, and freshly ground pepper

4 ounces chorizo, sliced ⅓-inch thick

2 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced

1 small leek, well rinsed and sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

2¼ cups short-grained rice, such as Bomba

¼ cup dry white wine

½ pound squid (tubes and tentacles)

½ pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined but not peeled

1 pound mussels, scrubbed

1 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed

½ cup fresh or frozen peas

1. In a small saucepan, heat chicken broth and saffron over low; cover and let steep 15 minutes.

2. Heat a 15-inch paella pan or a wide, shallow skillet over medium-high. Coat the bottom of pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add chicken, skin-side down, to hot pan. Cook, turning once, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chorizo; cook, moving chicken to sides to make room, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add onions, leek, garlic, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Season generously with pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft.

3. Add rice to pan and stir to coat. Add wine and let cook about 1 minute. Add chicken-saffron broth; season with salt. Add seafood and bring to a boil (once seafood is added, let mixture sit; do not stir or mix). After 5 minutes, add peas; cook—without stirring—until rice is tender, shellfish has opened, and nearly all liquid has evaporated and bubbles have thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve paella immediately.

BUYING SHELLFISH

Clams

Choose live clams with tightly closed shells. If the shells are slightly open, tap them. Discard any that don’t close immediately. They should smell of the ocean, nothing more.

Mussels

Don’t bother buying mussels with chipped or damaged shells. Before cooking, clean and debeard them: Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge (or vegetable brush). Then grip the tough fibers extending from the shell—the beard—and pull to remove them; discard beards.

Shrimp

Fresh or frozen shrimp are equally good picks, as most boats flash-freeze the shrimp on board. But shrimp still in the shell can be tastier and less expensive. Thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator for one to two days or, in a pinch, run them under cold water. Chill fresh shrimp for up to two days. If the shrimp is farmed, look for the Best Aquaculture Practices label. For wild shrimp, look for certification from Wild American Shrimp or the Marine Stewardship Council.

PAELLA PANS

You can make paella easily in a wide, shallow skillet, but if this Valencian classic turns up regularly on your dinner party menu, you may want to invest in a paella pan. Traditionally made of carbon steel (but also available in stainless or enameled steel), the pan’s shallow, sloped sides and wide bottom enable the rice and seafood dish to cook evenly and encourage a caramelized crust (called socarrat) to form. Wide handles let you carry the dish from stovetop to table for serving.

Olive-Oil Cake with Whipped Cream and Brandied Cherries

Lots of Spanish desserts include olive oil rather than butter. This one is very similar in flavor to the thin, flaky biscuits known as tortas de aceite, but with a cakey, tender crumb. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream and brandied cherries, as suggested below, or top with whipped cream and fresh cherries or sliced fresh peaches or apricots.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for the pan

4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 packed teaspoons finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)

1 tablespoon anise seeds

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup heavy cream, for serving

  Brandied Cherries (recipe follows), for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly brush an 8-inch round pan with oil and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, orange zest, and 2 teaspoons anise seeds in a bowl until foamy. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until combined.

2. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Fold into egg mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into pan, sprinkle with sugar and remaining teaspoon anise seeds, and bake until lightly golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto wire rack and let cool completely; reinvert cake onto serving platter.

3. In a chilled bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Serve cake with brandied cherries and whipped cream.

BRANDIED CHERRIES

1¼ pounds frozen sweet cherries, partially thawed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup brandy

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cherries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in brandy. Return to heat and simmer 1 minute more. Let cool completely. (Cherries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)