Restaurant Review - Time For Tapas - Comments

Time For Tapas

Poster: Gillaine Hathaway 01/06/2007

AS GILLAINE HATHAWAY REFLECTS ON HOW THE WONDERFUL SUMMER WEATHER TAKES OVER IN THIS TRULY BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD, SHE NOTES THAT... SO DOES THE PARTYING!

Yes, it's that time of the year for ferias galore! While Málaga city holds its annual Tapas Fair this month (from 22 to 26 June), so many Andalucian towns - such as Marbella on the coast, Alhaurin de la Torre a little way inland and Alcaucin, to name but a few - hold their annual fairs and everyone joins in the fun, be it the day-time feria celebrations in the town streets, or the evening partying in the fairgrounds.
A time to eat, drink and be merry... Tapas are such an important part of Andalucian food. We all enjoy these snacks or larger portions (raciones) at our local bars, whether in town or on the beach, and especially so while meandering through the feria festivities. It's a great way to sample all sorts of delicacies that perhaps we would not do when lunching or dining in a restaurant.
The word "tapa" means "to cover" and it started, so they say, with a piece of bread, which soon was topped with ham or cheese, balanced over a glass to keep out the flies. These became free, included in the price of the drink, as clever bar owners realised that people drank and ate more if given a free snack.
Another theory dates back to Spanish King Alfonso X, "El Sabio", who due to illness was obliged to take little snacks between meals accompanied by a small glass of wine. Whether these are true or not, the origin of the tapa could also be attributed to farmers and workers who, in days gone by, needed to eat something during their long working hours.
But back to modern times, and when partying at home tapas are a great way of entertaining friends. You just pile up the dining table with large plates of these tempting snacks and let your guests help themselves. So many of them can be made in advance, which greatly helps the hosts, and leftovers can be kept in the fridge and consumed over the next few days. Furthermore, all are ideal for meat and fish eaters and vegetarians.
From portions of fried fish to Spanish omelets, potato and squid salads, and stews of all kinds... there are so many tasty tapas to enjoy.
If you are making a stew or casserole for dinner, be it meatballs, beef or chicken, make more than you need and keep the remains to serve as tapas. But here are a few suggestions for easy ones; in fact these are "cheats' tapas" as they can be prepared effortlessly from ingredients easily found in all supermarkets. The recipes are for four normal portions, so it is just a matter of doubling or trebling the quantities depending on how many you wish to serve.

HABAS CON JAMON
(beans with cured ham)

Ingredients
(serves 4)

400 gr tin baby broad beans (habitas fritas en aceite de oliva)
100 gr jamon serrano
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

Drain off most of the olive oil, except for a couple of tablespoons which go into a saucepan.
Heat the oil and slowly fry the onion until soft but not brown.
Stir in the ham and the beans and allow to cook for a few minutes.
Serve immediately or remove to a container and keep in the fridge until required, then re-heat.

If you have looked at packages of small green peppers on the supermarket shelf, but have never tasted them, then you are in for a treat if you prepare this oh so easy recipe...

PIMIENTOS DEL PIQUILLOS
(peppers)

Ingredients
(serves 4)

250 gr small green peppers (some of which can be spicy!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Approx. 1 generous teaspoon of salt

Sprinkle the oil into a large frying pan and heat.
Add the peppers and fry until brown on one side and turn over to brown on the other.
When nicely browned remove to a plate and sprinkle with salt.
Serve warm or cold.

Another packet easily found in local shops is anchovies in vinegar. In the old days the boquerones were bought at the fish market and took time to clean, fillet and then soak in vinegar. But, as I said before, this is the cheats' method!

BOQUERONES EN VINAGRE
(anchovies in vinegar)

Ingredients
(serves 4)

140 gr packet prepared boquerones (anchovies)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Remove the boquerones from the packet and carefully spread onto a shallow dish.
Sprinkle over the garlic and parsley and drizzle over the oil.
Leave to rest for a good hour to release the flavour of the olive oil, garlic and parsley, and serve with crusty bread.

TOMATES RELLENOS
(stuffed tomatoes)

Ingredients
(serves 4)

8 small tomatoes
4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
6 tablespoons alioli or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Skin the tomatoes, first by cutting out the core with a sharp knife and making an incision on the other end.
Place in a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, remove and plunge into a bowl of iced or very cold water.
Slice the tops off the tomatoes and set aside and remove enough off the base so they sit squarely on a plate. Remove the seeds with a teaspoon.
Mash the eggs with the alioli or mayonnaise and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the mixture into the tomatoes, pressing down firmly.
Replace the lids at a jaunty angle.

If preparing this dish in advance brush with olive oil and cover with cling film to prevent them drying out, and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Enough cheating! Time now for a couple of truly classic Spanish tapa recipes. Both are well worth taking the time and effort to prepare.

ENSALADILLA RUSA
(Russian potato salad)

Ingredients
(serves 4)
3 medium potatoes (approx. 300 gr), peeled and chopped into 1 cm squares
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
5 tablespoons frozen peas
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 gherkins, chopped
2 tablespoons baby capers
12 anchovy-stuffed olives
1 hard-boiled egg, cooled, peeled and diced
100 gr mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon French mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste and chopped parsley to garnish

Cook the potatoes and carrots in salted, boiling water and simmer until almost cooked.
Add the peas and cook for a few minutes more.
Remove, drain and tip into a bowl.
Add the onion, peppers, gherkins, capers, olives and egg.
In a separate bowl combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard.
Add this mixture to the potatoes and vegetables and mix well to ensure all the ingredients are coated, and then stir in the ground black pepper.
Put into a serving dish, garnish with the parsley and cover with cling film and refrigerate until one hour before serving to enhance the flavour.

This traditional tapa is served throughout Spain and everyone have their own variations on the classic recipe. Just remember that any dish made with mayonnaise will not keep for more than one or two days in the fridge.

And last but by no means least, tasty croquettes, served throughout the land as a tapa or as a main course with a salad. The following recipe is made with serrano ham, but chopped hard-boiled eggs, shredded salt cod, chopped prawns, chorizo (spicy sausage), cheese or any vegetable can be used instead of the ham, making it a tasty dish for everyone to enjoy. They are a bit of a fuss to prepare, but are best made a day before serving, so then all you have to do is fry them and enjoy.

CROQUETAS DE JAMON
(ham croquettes)

Ingredients
(serves 4)

2 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 heaped tablespoons flour
300 ml warm milk
100 gr jamon serrano or other dry cured ham, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fine dried breadcrumbs

In a saucepan heat the olive oil and butter over a medium heat until the butter has melted.
Add in the flour using a wooden spoon or whisk and mix well.
Continue to whisk for about two minutes until the flour is well blended.
Add approximately 100 ml of the warm milk and increase the heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil and gradually stir in the remaining milk.
Cook, stirring constantly for about five minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, thick béchamel sauce.
Add in the chopped ham and season lightly with salt and stir well.
Cook for approximately one minute before pouring the contents into a lightly oiled 18-centimetre square dish
Spread the mixture evenly over the dish, allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or preferably overnight.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly.
Spread the breadcrumbs on a dinner plate and with two spoons shape the béchamel mixture into walnut-sized croquettes.
Roll each croquette in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess, and then dip into the beaten egg.
Remove the croquette from the egg mixture and roll again in the breadcrumbs, making sure that it is evenly coated.
Place the croquettes in a single layer on a plate and refrigerate for a further 30 minutes before frying in a deep fat fryer two or three at a time until golden.
Remove and drain on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
Keep warm while cooking the rest of the croquettes and serve immediately.

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