6 July, 2018
Tapas
With upcoming trips to Menorca and Barcelona just around the corner, and the continued heatwave, I am really getting into the holiday mood! I decided last weekend to make some Tapas dishes to enjoy in the sunshine with a glass (or two!) of Vina Sol. So I thought I’d share the recipes…
I started off with some nibbles! I prepared a platter of Manzanilla olives, Manchego cheese and Serrano ham served with Tomato Bread (crusty bread toasted, drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with a cut tomato).
After a siesta (and dip in the paddling pool!) I prepared hot Tapas dishes of Patatas Bravas, Chorizo in cider and Garlic Prawns…..
For the Patatas Bravas peel and cut 500g of waxy potatoes into cubes and drizzle with olive oil before cooking in the oven at 180°C for 45 minutes. Whilst the potatoes are cooking prepare the accompanying sauce by heating 2 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat in a pan, add a finely chopped onion for 5 minutes until softened, followed by 2 crushed garlic cloves for a further 30 seconds. Next add 60 ml of dry Spanish sherry, bring the mixture to the boil, then add 400g of canned chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp wine vinegar, 1 tsp crushed dried chillies and 2 tsp of smoked Spanish paprika. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Then use a handheld blender to blend the sauce to a smooth consistency. Once the potatoes are cooked, top with the sauce and serve with cocktail sticks to spear the potatoes.
For the Chorizo in cider you only need 2 ingredients, 4 fresh chorizo sausages and a bottle of vintage (dry & still) cider. This is one of the easiest Tapas to make as you only need a pan and a bottle opener! You simply place the Chorizo sausages snugly into a small pan, top with the cider and cook over a low heat for an hour, until the cider has reduced down into a rich syrup. Cut the Chorizo into slices and serve hot with crusty bread.
Prawns with Garlic are one of my favourite things! And are found as a Tapas dish pretty much everywhere in Spain. This would traditionally be cooked and served in a terracotta dish, but you can use an ordinary frying pan. Over a high heat cook 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves and 1 finely chopped red chilli in 100 ml olive oil. When the garlic starts to turn golden, add 12 large raw prawns (ideally with their tails intact), cook for 1 minute on each side until they just turn pink. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and 1 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley (which I forgot to do)!
Delicious with an ice cold glass of Vina Sol!
Buen provecho!