Proper Spanish Tapas

Tapas Recipes Vegetables

Olives a la Sevillana
Chilli Olives tapas
Patatas Bravas (Crispy potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce)
Ensalada rusa (Russian salad)
Croquetas (croquettes)
Champiñones al ajillo (garlic mushrooms)
Champiñones al pimienta (peppered mushrooms)
Almendras (fried almonds
Roasted Spicy Almonds
Deep-fried Aubergine with honey

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Tapas recipes

Just a little word of warning: Although this is the vegetable tapas recipe section, it is not a vegetarian section. Be aware that there may be some meat or meat stock included here.

 

Those olives again!

The following couple of simple and tasty olive tapas recipes are perfect for your evening appetiser. With most olive recipes you can use pitted olives or whole (stone in) olives. I think that whole olives are generally better because they retain their texture and ‘bite’ better. You do, of course, have the stones to contend with so if you prefer, use pitted ones.

Olives a la Sevillana.

Find a glass jar big enough to take all the olives and the marinade. Sterilise the jar with boiling water and leave to dry naturally in a warm oven (don’t use a tea towel).

Lightly crush the olives and place in a bowl with all the other dry ingredients. Mix it all up thoroughly.

Fill the jar with the olives, then add the vinegar and water mix. Shake well and marinate at room temperature for several days. They should be eaten at room temperature but will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

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Chilli Olives.

You can make this tapas recipe with green olives, black olives or cured (wrinkled) olives. Each will have a different flavour to tempt you with.

Soak the sliced garlic in the vinegar for 24 hours then drain and discard the vinegar.

In a bowl, mix the garlic with the rest of the dry ingredients and the parsley.

Sterilise a 1 ltr. (1.75 pints) jar with boiling water and leave to dry naturally in a warm oven (don’t use a tea towel). Place the olives in the jar and fill up with the olive oil. Give it a gentle shake to mix the ingredients and then marinade for one to two weeks. Serve at room temperature.

They’ll keep for a month or two in the ‘fridge (if you can leave it that long!) but don’t forget to get them out an hour or two before you need them to let them acclimatise.

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Patatas Bravas (Crispy potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce)

Patatas bravas is a simple and traditional tapas recipe which is a mainstay in almost every tapas bar you come across. As with the tortilla, each bar will have its own recipe, and each will tell you that theirs is obviously the best!

You can get a good idea of the quality of a tapas bar by sampling their Patatas Bravas. The potatoes should be crisp on the outside but still firm on the inside and the sauce should be rich, glossy and spicy. Serves 4:

Once cut, rinse the potatoes and dry on some paper towel. Heat the oil in a frying pan to about 180°C (350°F) and cook the chunks of potato for about 5 minutes (or until lightly golden) in small batches. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes by cutting a cross in the base and plunging them into boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Plunge into cold water and the skin should peel away easily. Chop the tomatoes.

Heat some more oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic, paprika, thyme and cayenne pepper then cook for another couple of minutes until it all smells fragrant and spicy. Add the chopped tomato, the puree or ketchup and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens. This should take about 20 minutes or so. While this is cooking , add the salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce looks like it’s getting too thick, add some water. It should be a thick sauce though, you don’t want it too runny and making your potatoes soggy.

While the sauce is simmering you can re-heat the frying oil and re-fry the potatoes. This gives them an even crisper coating and prevents the sauce from soaking in too much.

Another way to prepare the potatoes, and one which I prefer, is to par-boil them for 5 to 10 minutes first. Then drain the water, let the steam evaporate for a minute or so and then give the pan a good shake. This roughs up the outsides nicely. When the sauce is nearly ready, fry the potatoes only once in the hot oil and serve immediately. You will find that this gives them a beautifully crisp outside and a soft and fluffy inside. Just like my mum used to make!

To serve, place the potatoes in a serving bowl, season them if desired, then cover with lashings of spicy sauce. Sprinkle some chopped parsley all over it and tuck in!

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Ensalada rusa (Russian salad)

Another tapas recipe that you'll find everywhere. This is a very quick and simple recipe that you can throw together in no time.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small dice of about 1cm. Boil in salted water for about 10 mins or until soft. Drain and leave to cool

Hard boil the eggs then remove the shells and leave in cold water to cool. When they're cool enough to handle, chop into cubes and place in a bowl with the potato.

Blanch the beans and refresh in cold water to retain their 'bite'. Then add these and the chopped olives to the bowl. Finally, add the tuna, the mayonnaise, the salt and pepper and the lemon juice and mix gently to combine.

Garnish with the whole olives, maybe some flat-leaf parsley and serve.

There are many variations on this dish. Some have carrots, or peas, or capers, or anchovies, or red pepper (capsicum), or mustard - or a combination of all the above!

Try it all and see what suits you best.

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Croquetas (croquettes).

These melt-in-the-mouth little croquettes are very popular tapas with the Spanish. You will, again, find them just about everywhere. You can use any number of different fillings. Try it with hard-boiled egg, cheese or vegetables. This recipe is exactly the same as the Jamon Croquetas recipe in the meat section. Just leave out the jamon. Serves 6.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over a low to med heat, then add the onion and a couple of grinds of black pepper, cook until the onions are soft (do not brown). Stir in 100g of the flour and cook until the mixture is almost dry and starts to change colour. Remove from the heat and add the milk very gradually, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. When you’ve got a smooth mixture you can add the stock, put back on the heat and let it boil to thicken it up.

Keep that stirring going and remember what I said about exact quantities. It’s better to hold back a little while adding the liquids and judge the correct thickness. You can always add more if it’s too thick but you’ve got an awful lot of boiling to do if it’s too thin!

Once you’ve got a nice thick mixture, taste and adjust for seasoning. For an optional flavouring, you could also add a pinch of nutmeg at this stage. You can now leave this for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to help it set. If you wish, you can leave them overnight.

Prepare the coatings by putting the extra 50g of flour, the 50g of breadcrumbs and the beaten egg into three separate bowls. Take about a tablespoon of the cold mixture and roll it into a croquette shape. Dip it first into the flour, then into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs.

When you’ve prepared all the croquettes you need to put them back in the fridge for half an hour. When you’re ready to cook, fill the oil to about 5cm (2in) in a good saucepan and heat to about smoking point. It needs to be good and hot. You can then start frying them in batches. They’ll only take 2 to 3 minutes a batch until nicely crisp and golden. Remove, drain and place on kitchen roll in a warm oven until they’re all done.

Serve hot while they’re still crunchy on the outside and meltingly smooth on the inside. Beautiful!

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Champiñones al ajillo (garlic mushrooms)

There are not many tapas recipes more Spanish than this. Gorgeous mushrooms infused with the exotic flavours of spices, olive oil, garlic and Spanish Sherry. Serves 4.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet and fry the mushrooms over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, lemon juice, sherry, salt and pepper.

For a milder flavour you can leave it at that if you like. But if you like a bit of 'fireworks', now's the time to add the dried chilli and paprika as well.

Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the garlic and mushrooms have softened then remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley and divide up into pre-heated 'little dishes'.

Serve with plenty of fresh, crusty bread to mop up those seriously-garlicky juices.

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Champiñones al pimienta (peppered mushrooms)

This is a simple variation on the above tapas. Handy if you're going out on a hot date and don't want to overpower your partner with your breath! Serves 4.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms and onion over a medium heat until they are getting soft. Add the salt and pepper and cook for a further couple of minutes. Serve as above.

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Almendras (fried almonds)

This has to be one of the simplest, tastiest and quickest ways to serve up some tapas when unexpected guests come a-knockin’. I am never without a pack almonds in the cupboard. Quantities really don’t matter here, just use what you got!

Heat up a little oil in a frying pan. Throw in the almonds and shake around until golden brown all over. Be careful not to burn them, though. Remove and drain them onto paper towels then put them into a large bowl.

Sprinkle liberally with the salt, give ‘em a good shake and dig-in with your fingers while they’re hot. Don’t be too polite though, or there won’t be any left!

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Roasted Spicy Almonds.

Another way to serve almonds but with a spicy Moorish influence. Again, just use whatever you’ve got in the cupboard.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Combine all the other ingredients and toss in the almonds, giving them a good coating. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes but keep an eye on them, you don’t want them black!). Serve hot or cold.

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Deep-fried Aubergine with honey

There are few sights more appealing than a display of perfect, deep purple aubergines. It makes you just want to buy a few and try something out.

This recipe is a simple and tasty way to prepare them with a hint of Moroccan influence. You will need one large fruit per two people.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan.

To make the batter, mix the sifted flour, cumin and baking powder in the ratio above to coat however many aubergines you have. Add the salt and pepper then add just enough water to make a very stiff batter. (A tip here is to leave out the baking powder and use carbonated water instead. This gives the same light and crunchy finish once cooked.)

Coat the slices of aubergine well and drop them straight into the very hot oil. Cook for a few minutes until they are golden brown and crisp then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen roll. Serve on a plate straight away with a generous coating of the honey.

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