Tapas

You’ll easily find the usual top Spanish tapas in bars all around the country, for example olives, Manchego cheese, tostadas con tomate (grated or scratched tomato on Spanish bread), pinxtos (Basque-style, mini sandwiches) or a plate of Spanish bravas (fried potato with spicy tomato sauce). Spain’s tapas are a gourmet exploration in itself and the 5 recipes below will provide the perfect accompaniment to drinks before a meal.
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Stuffed mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 8

• ¼ cup (2fl oiz/60 ml) olive oil
• 1 ½   teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 32 button mushrooms about 2 inches (5cms) in diameter. Stems removed
• 1 tbspn finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup (1 oz/30gms) minced tocina or bacon
• 1 tbspn finely chopped parsley
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbspns fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tbspns freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan large enough to hold mushrooms. 
   
2. Add garlic then the mushrooms, tops down, and gently saute until browned but not cooked through, about 2 minutes.
   
3. Remove mushrooms.  Add onion and tocino or bacon to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes. Pour off any excess liquid. 
   
4. Add parsley, remove from heat and let it cool. 
   
5. Add eggs and breadcrumbs and mix well.
   
6. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture and top each with parmesan cheese. 
   
7. Broil (grill) or bake in an oven preheated to 450°F (230°C/Gas 9) until cheese is browned and mushrooms are cooked through.  Serve at once.
   

Spicy hard-boiled eggs

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 8

• ​2 tbspns olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tspns peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 tspn ground cumin
• 1 tspn ground coriander
• 1 tspn ground turmeric
• 1 tbspn seeded and chopped red chilli
• 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ,ml) unsweetened thin coconut cream or milk
• 8 hard-boiled eggs
• Cilantro (coriander) to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large frypan, warm oil over medium heat. 
2. Fry garlic, ginger and onion until onion is transparent. 
3. Add ground spices and chilli and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Blend onion-spice mixture in a food processor with coconut cream.
6. Return mixture to pan and bring to a boil.  Add eggs, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
7. Serve garnished with coriander sprigs.

 Cheese marinated in tarragon and garlic

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup (7 fl oz/210 ml) tarragon vinegar
• 2 tbspns chopped fresh tarragon or 2 tspns dried tarragon
• 2 tspns freshly ground black pepper
• 1 head of garlic, each clove smashed but unpeeled
• 1 lb (500gms) Cambozola cheese cut into 3/8 inch (2 cm) cubes
• Fresh tarragon springs
• Roasted red pepper (capsicum) strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, chopped tarragon, pepper and garlic in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and let it stand for one week.
2. Strain oil and pour over cheese in a bowl.
3. Cover and marinate for 2 days.
4. Serve garnished with tarragon sprigs and red pepper strips.

Albondiga

This recipe will produce about 40-50 meatballs if you make them about 1 inch (2.5cms) in diameter.  When served as tapas, they are traditionally accompanied by garlic mayonnaise or reheated in a simple tomato sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb (500gms) minced pork or beef
• ½ cup (2fl oz/60g) finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup (2 oz/60gms) fine breadcrumbs
• 3 eggs
• 1 red chilli, minced, or a dash of chilli sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
• Flour for coating
• Oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. ​In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the flour, mixing thoroughly. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow flavours to blend.
2. In a frying pan, eat enough oil to cover the meatballs. The oil is ready when it reaches 350°f (180°C) on a deep frying thermometer. 
3. Roll meatballs in flour.
4. Deep-fry, turning once, until cooked through.
5. Drain on paper towel and serve immediately.

Mushroom tortilla

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbspns olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1lb (500gms) mushrooms, sliced
• 12 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in an oven-proof frying pan about 8 inches (20cms) wide with sloping sides about 2 inches (5cms) deep.
2. Sauté onion and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. 
4. Transfer onions and mushrooms to a strainer lined with paper towel and drain thoroughly, then add to eggs.
5. Wipe pan, return to medium heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until smoking. 
6. Add egg mixture and stir away from pan bottom 5 or 6 times. 
7. Cook until tortilla is set two-thirds of the way through, shaking pan to make sure eggs don’t stick. 
8. Place a large plate over pan and invert tortilla onto it. 
9. Slide tortilla back into pan, uncooked side down and cook until set through. 
10. Cut into serving pieces