Cooking like a local in Spain

Learn from the locals if you can! They are usually very happy to give general advice and tips. I learnt how to make a really decent tortilla de patata (not as simple as you would think) from a cook in a bar where we ate the most fantastic tortilla I've ever had (apart from my own now  ).
Ditto for paella (tip: a good broth makes all the difference).
And use the best ingredients possible and ones apt for the task (frying potatoes for tortilla) particularly when making cocido madrileño.

My cooking is terrible but a Spaniard said to me that one of the biggest tips as to how to cook good Spanish food is to shop carefully.

We love to cook Spanish dishes. We often eat out in local restaurants, along the coast and inland, and copy the dishes we enjoy the most. One of our favourites is habas con jamon. Finely chopped onion and garlic sauteed in olive oil; the broad beans added once the onion has softened a little and just warmed through (they are so tender, they need little cooking). Add strips of serrano ham to finish the dish. We have enjoyed this served as a tapas and also had it as a 'primero' on a menu del dia when it was served with a fried egg on top. The yolk creates a lovely sauce.

Would like to learn 3Pebbles secrets to making tortilla de patata!

Agree with Culebron Chris entirely. The few Euros that you save getting a "good" deal on moralla at the market translates into a poor fumet, which in turn becomes a substandard paella. As a practicing "Maruja" with a working wife who is a Spanish farmer's daughter, I have learned the hard way that ingredients are VERY important, and it is a good idea to develop a relationship with a few vendors at the market or store, who will steer you towards fresh products and away from undesirable ones. However, assuming Culebron has internet access, there is NO reason to be substandard cook. There are  literally thousands of recipes online for practically any Spanish food you want to make, from fabada Asturiana to rabo de toro. Recetasderechupete, directoapaladar, eladerezo, and even Arguiñano in hogarmania dot com (which for some reason seems to get lesser ratings than many other sites), are available at your fingertips. Ready to move from simple recipes to something a bit more complex? Try some of the recipes at epicurious dot com. Getting into cooking in general, I have added assorted arab dishes, russian/Ucranian Borsch, German dishes, pickled herring, etc etc to our Spanish cuisine. I usually prepare a couple of traditional American thanksgiving dinners with deboned Turkey, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, Cranberry sauce and pumpkin and apple pie at least a couple of times per year. You'll make mistakes - I once made something with a meat broth, that I hadn't defoamed, and there was hell to pay from the wife, but I haven't made that mistake again. One secret: I use the alarm on my tablet to remind me to check food while it is cooking.

Well I am embarrassed here I am not adventurous so stick to the Spanish foods which are basically the same as U.K. dishes

I have mastered only gazacho although that is hardy cooking !

The easiest thing I found to make. And everyone loved. Were canarian potatoes. Need small new potatoes. Place in pot cover with water. Adding a very generous handful of sea salt. Boil for 20 mins, take off the boil and drain. Still hot but dry. Place in dish cover completely with more sea salt. Leave to cool. Zap in microwave for 30 seconds to heat. Taste wonderfully creamy.

Well, Gazpacho is a start. I assume that it is Gazpacho Andaluz. So you might try making Gazpacho Manchego, which is totally different or marmitako, or escalivada (not too difficult) or ....

I do not make tea like the Spanish, because in general they cannot make tea.

RibeiraSacra you are right.

I write a blog and I said something more or less the same on the blog.

Lots of Spaniards didn't seem to agree with me though.

They seem to think that they can make tea but, as you say, they can't or at least they don't.

I should add I make a great coffee now.
I burn my food no matter what sort of meal I cook. So The wife kindly does that for me.

The same thing happens to me. My tablet allows me to set multiple alarms which I use when cooking.

I totally agree. That's why at home I drink tea but at bars I always ask for coffee!

Spanish food is by far my favourite - one of the main reasons I moved here hahah
When I first did the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage I went to Spanish cooking classes in Santiago de Compostela and they were really fun and useful.
Ingredients are easy to find in any supermarket, national or international - eggs, potato, oil, tomato, bread- especially in farmers or organic markets.
To learn, I would highly recommend to go to a cooking course (there are very cheap ones available through Groupon or Airbnb Experiences) and just keep practicing. Like my Spanish friend said "it's all about practice and love"