date night. spanish heat.

Lo and I haven't spent time in Spain, but we imagine it's a beautiful country filled with beautiful people all lisping their z's and sipping sangria on topless beaches. I hope we're not disappointed when we finally go. The things we do know about Spain we love (except that whole conquering the Aztecs thing).

Spanish cuisine's most famous dish has to be paella. Lo and I love paella, it's terrific fun to make and deliciously rewarding to eat. The unfortunate part of paella is that it's always too much food for two people. It's not uncommon for us to be eating piles of rice, seafood and sausage for days. Which doesn't sound that bad as I type this...but let's be honest, paella is better when prepared for a group.

For this date night we wanted to connect some of our favorite Spanish influences and make a creative yet light take on paella, something perfect for a couple enjoying a summer night at home.

Spanish influence one: our take on paella. A prosciutto wrapped sole with brown rice, shell peas, clams, tomato, and pickled chiles in a white wine saffron sauce. It carries many of the same great flavors with a lot less effort (or excess). Click on the link below for our original recipe.

Deconstructed paella

Spanish influence two: sangria. Sangria always sets the mood. It tastes like juice, yet packs a boozey punch, so make a small batch if it's just the two of you. Again, you can select the link below for our mix.

Sangria

And lastly, Spanish influence three: flamenco music. We love Spanish flamenco music. Lo and I had Paco de Lucia playing while we got married. It's romantic, soulful feel is perfect for a hot summer night. We've added a selection of some of our favorite tracks from a great Paco album for you to sample.

 We hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did. Salud!