Creating your own Tapas feast or following a recipe, making delicious small bites can be fun and entertaining.
Add family, friends, a warm summer day, and great conversation to get that Spanish feel.
These three dishes are a favourite of mine and definitely worth sharing.
Broad Beans with cheese and prawns
Ingredients Serves 6 (approx)
500grams Shelled fresh or frozen broad beans 225grams cooked and peeled prawns 225 grams of Gruyere Cheese cubed 6 tablespoons of Olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 garlic Clove 2 fresh thyme sprigs Salt and pepper (optional)
Method
Add the Broad Beans and a sprig of thyme to a large pan of slightly salted boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 7 minutes. Drain well, cover with cold water and drain again. Place the Broad Beans and Prawns in a bowl and add the cheese. Chop the remaining sprig of thyme. Using a separate bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic and add the chopped sprig of thyme. Taste and add the salt and pepper seasoning if required. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and serve.
Fried Chorizo with herbs
Ingredients Serves 6 (approx)
700 grams Chorizo cooking Sausage. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves finely chopped 4 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs
Method
Cut the chorizo into 1/4 inch thick slices heat a large frying pan and the chorizo slices without any additional oils and cook on medium heat for approx 5 minutes until crisp and browned. Remove the Chorizo slices and drain them on kitchen paper. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan over low-med heat, add the Chorizo slices garlic and herbs and cook stirring occasionally, until heated through. Then serve.
Roasted Pepper Salad
Ingredients Serves 6 (approx)
3 Red Peppers 3 Yellow Peppers 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. 2 tablespoons of dry sherry vinegar or lemon juice. 2 Garlic Cloves (crushed) Half teaspoon of sugar 1 tablespoon capers 8 black Pitted Olives (more can be added to the table) Fresh herbs to garnish. (or dried herbs)
Method
Place the peppers on a grill wire rack on high and cook for approx 10 minutes turning frequently until the skins have blistered and blackened. Remove the roasted peppers and put them in a bowl and cover with a clean damp tea towel, allow cooling for approx 10 – 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle cut the top off the pepper (stem and core) and spoon out the seeds. Carefully peel off the blackened skin and cut into thin strips. Arrange the peppers on a serving dish. Sprinkle the capers and olives and add fresh or dried herbs. (Feta cheese is a lovely addition to this dish) Add together the Olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, and sugar, and season with salt and pepper (optional). Whisk and pour the drizzle over the salad and serve.
