An uncomplicated dish to be cooked with what was haunted on the day

Italian risottos have taken the fame when talking about cooking rice at home, but in Spain, we cook it very similar yet healthier, without the need of using butter and cheese.

As we get deep into the Autumn the variety of mushrooms you can find in markets multiply and as well the first Jerusalem artichokes start appearing on restaurant menus.

n autumn, I love foraging for mushrooms and there is never a year when I don’t go to look for them on a few walks. As well no year goes by when I don’t enjoy a good mushroom mellow rice made with mushrooms stock. The reason is that I like to feel the earthy special flavour mushrooms have that sometimes gets lost in between other ingredients. I love a good risotto but unfortunately they abuse so much of the Parmesan and butter that mushrooms get behind those bold flavours. I like my mushroom dishes to taste very pure as if I was tasting and smelling the forest.

There is flavours that quite simply belong together, and these three are a great example of one of those matches. The beauty of paellas compared with other internationally famous rice dishes such as biryani, risotto… is that it accepts every ingredient you can think of. In Valencia they say there is a paella for each day of the year, I think that sums it all up quite nicely.

I have easily tasted around 100 different crème caramels in my life but I have never tasted one as good as the one my mum makes, which originally is a recipe from my great-grandfather who was the Master baker in Burgos most renowned bakery. The earliest memory of my life was my mum cooking this very dessert and as it couldn’t be another way it then became the first ever dish I cooked myself as a 5 years old kid. As you have probably worked out by now, this “flan” is very close to my heart and I hope everyone of you who bakes it finds it as delicious and delicate as I do.

This simple recipe carries an explosion of flavor. It makes a great tapa or starter when you are entertaining friends or family as you can leave it hot in the oven until you need it.

Serves four people as a tapa. If you have any of this left over it makes the perfect garnish for roasted chicken, a steak or even can lift a boring pasta dish.