Tapas
At the moment in our local village, we have the Ruta de la Tapa where you can get a dish of food and a beer for 3.50€! This is excellent value for a quick snack and a chance to try the different cuisine from each eatery. Thought to have started on a slice of bread designed to cover the glass to stop flies falling in, Tapas are very easy to make. The style is robust and appearance is not really important. The ingredients are inexpensive and often very traditional, reflecting the seasons. The idea of a little plate of food to tide you over until the next meal appeals to many people and the hardest part is not ordering too many tapas! A great idea if having friends round if you don’t fancy a large meal.
Buen Apetito
Aioli
6 garlic cloves
½tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
60ml extra virgin olive oil
100ml vegetable oil
Peel and finely chop the garlic and put in a mortar with the salt, using the pestle grind to a paste. Put the garlic in a food processor, add the egg yolks and mix well. Combine the oils, a little at a time, until the mixture is very thick. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve with toasted bread stick and stewed tomato, or salad dishes.
Spanish Meatballs
250g pork sausage
400g lean mince meat
1tsp dried chilli flakes
1 garlic clove – chopped
1 medium onion – chopped
1-2tsp plain flour
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red pepper – diced
1tsp paprika
700g tomato pulp
Salt and pepper
Squeeze the sausage meat out of its skin into a large bowl. Add the mince, chilli flakes, garlic, half the chopped onion and mix thoroughly, then season. Sprinkle flour over a board and heap a teaspoon of mixture and roll it in the flour until ball shaped. Heat olive oil in frying pan and fry meatballs until brown all over. Place in an oven-proof dish.
Sauce
Fry remaining onion in the frying pan with the diced pepper and paprika for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato pulp and cook for another 3 minutes and then season. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook in oven for 30 minutes on 190º.
Ham, Melon and Fig Tapa
12 cocktail sticks
12 slices of Serrano ham
12 small cubes of melon
3 figs
Wrap one slice of ham around each cube of melon and skewer a piece of fig on each and serve.
Baby Gem Lettuce with Anchovies
2 Baby Gem Lettuce
12 anchovies
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Remove and discard the outer leaves from the lettuce and chop the lettuce in half lengthways. Chop each half into three lengthways wedges. Place each wedge pointed side up on a serving plate and position one anchovy down its length. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with black pepper.
Deep Fried Squid Rings
600g fresh squid
Vegetable oil
100g plain flour
2 eggs
100g breadcrumbs
Prepare the Squid by pulling out and discarding the head and the attached intestines from the tube-like body. Remove and discard the long thin cartilage. Cut off the wings from the body and pull the skin away and discard. Rinse the tubes under cold water and then pat dry. Cut the tubes into rings about 5mm thick. Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls and line them up in order. Dredge the Squid Rings in the flour, then dip them in the egg mixture and finally the breadcrumbs. Deep fry them in the vegetable oil for 1-1½ minutes until golden, but do not overcook or Squid will go tough.
Patatas Brava
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 medium potatoes – cubed
1 large onion – chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 red chillies
½tsp cumin
2tbsp red wine vinegar
400ml chopped tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
Cook the cubed potatoes in 3tbsp olive oil until golden. Transfer the potatoes and any remaining olive oil into a baking dish and cook in the oven 200º for 15 minutes.
Sauce
Heat the remaining olive oil in frying pan and sauté the onion. Add garlic, chillies and cumin and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a further 10-12 minutes.
Drain the potatoes from the oil and place in a large dish. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and serve.