Trading a small Spanish village for London, José Pizarro became known as the chef who brought tapas to the UK. These dishes celebrate his heritage, with seasonal flavours and recipes perfect for entertaining.
“I just adore these crispy, golden pieces of heaven. The word cuchifrito comes from ‘fried pig’, and it’s traditionally made with suckling pigs – in my area in Spain, we eat them when they are as young as 21 days old. I sometimes make it with pork belly instead, as that’s much easier to source.”
“I just love the strength of cardamom and vanilla together. My sister – and my brother – would say to serve it hot, but I actually like it cold. However you serve it, this dessert is a winner."
“I’m often asked to share the secret of how I make my rice dishes so intense and full of flavour. The answer is, there’s not really any secret! It’s very simple: you just need a good sofrito, amazing stock, a perfect rice and then anything else you want to add!"
José Pizarro shares a shoulder to eat on with this rich Spanish pork dish.
“Do you like croquetas? Maybe it’s a stupid question – doesn’t everyone? When they’re made well, I think these are the best croquetas in the world... This recipe is from my Mum. My Mum always has croquetas in the freezer for when I pay her a surprise visit!”
“In Spain, garlic is the king of the herbs, and it’s very important in our cooking. So, this recipe is all about the garlic. There is truly nothing like this soup. If you’ve never tried it, stop what you’re doing and make it now! It’s a favourite recipe of my Mum’s, although her version is much simpler." – José Pizarro.
