In A Nutshell

This is super easy to make and can be made a couple hours ahead of time. 1 bunch asparagus (try to get spears that aren't too thin) thinly sliced serrano ham extra-virgin olive oil Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet pan with olive oil (I used olive oil spray). Cut each piece of serrano ham in half and wrap around the center of the asparagus.  Set the asparagus on the pan and drizzle very lightly with olive oil (no more than 1 or 2 T) and sprinkle with kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bake in a preheated 400º oven for about 10-12 minutes.  You want it to be cooked but firm enough to hold with your fingers.  Easy peasy. This pairs well with Verdejo as well.

This is adapted from Food and Wine magazine; it is the ultimate in comfort food and very easy to make.  I especially love that it all gets cooked up in one pot.  This is best made right before eating when it's almost kind of soupy. 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 small white onion, chopped 12 oz. chicken chorizo, sliced thin (I bought Amy's at Whole Foods) 2 T extra-virgin olive oil Fry the onion in the olive oil until lightly browned, then add the garlic and chorizo and sautée until chorizo is browned (about 5 minutes or so).  Remove the mixture to a bowl. Add the following to the pot: 2 T EVOO (heat this up first in the pot) 12 oz. fideo noodles (these are thin, broken-up pieces of angel hair or spaghetti pasta, available in the Hispanic section of the grocery store) Sautée the noodles over medium high heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes until they are browned. Return the onion, chorizo mixture to the pot and add: 1/2 cup dry white wine.  C...