Tapas: Tortilla Espanola - Spanish Omelette

Tortilla Espanola

A display of Tapas wouldn’t be complete without a Tortilla - Spanish omelette. A very simple, inexpensive dish made of just potato, egg and onion.

It’s one of those dishes that crosses all regions of Spanish cooking, it can be served hot or cold but most commonly found cold as part of tapas.

The onions and potatoes are slowly cooked together - sweetening the onions and leaving the potatoes with a gentle crunch as you bite through the Tortilla.

Once you have tried this recipe you can start experimenting by adding extra ingredients like peppers or chorizo too.

The most important ingredient in the Tortilla is the eggs so make sure you use the best eggs you can find as this makes a huge difference to the flavour. I always go for free range organic eggs whenever possible.

Serves: 2 as a main dish or 6 as part of tapas

5 free-range organic eggs
Handful baby potatoes, peeled and sliced into discs
1 medium Spanish onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

On a low heat cook the onion and potato together in a little oil. Season and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes, giving it a shake or stir every now and then to make sure nothing sticks to the pan. The potatoes and onion should be cooked but not coloured. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl beat up the eggs and season. Add the cooked onion and potatoes to the eggs and give it a good stir to coat.

Get a clean frying pan very hot on a high heat, add a glug of olive oil, pour in the mixture and turn the heat right down to the lowest setting.
Leave the egg to cook very slowly; it can take up to 20 minutes. Every now and then use a flat edged knife to score the edge of the pan - ensuring the tortilla keeps a round shape.

When the tortilla is almost cooked to the top you can do two things: either use a plate to turn it over and slide back into the pan (this is what the Spanish do but it can get messy!) or place the tortilla under the grill for a minute or two.

Cut the tortilla into wedges and serve warm or cold.

The tortilla should be moist and full of flavour.

Escalivada – Smoky Aubergine and Pepper Tapas

Escalivada

This is a fantastic Catalonian dish, which is a great starter, part of tapas or a light snack for lunch. The vegetables are char-grilled, which creates a smoky flavour.

Serve on toasted French bread with a few white anchovy fillets or sun-blushed tomatoes.

Serves: 2, as a snack

2 red peppers

1 large aubergine

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Char-grill the peppers and aubergine for about 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.  I usually do this over a raw flame on the hob but this can get messy so if you prefer, you can place them under the grill or even roast them in the oven at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. By this time, the skin should be burnt and black.

Place each in separate plastic bags and tie a knot to keep out the air. Leave to steam for 15 minutes, then gently remove the skins, discard the stalks, the seeds of the peppers and wipe away any black bits.

Cut the peppers and aubergine into strips, stir together in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season.

Serve warm or cold.

Spicy Spanish Eggs with Manchego Cheese or Chorizo

Spicy Spanish Eggs with Chorizo

My absolute favourite thing about the weekend is eating eggs for breakfast. By Thursday I’m really excited at the prospect of only 2 days to go and start planning my early morning meal.

I usually walk my little dog first to build up an appetite so by the time I eat, it’s more like brunch than breakfast, this also gives me an excuse to have an extra large portion.

Today spicy eggs are on the agenda and to follow my theme of Spanish cuisine I added paprika and cumin for a Moorish twist.

Serves: 1 Vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1 can chopped plum tomatoes

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

Few sprigs of fresh thyme

4 free range organic eggs

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

V: Chunk of Manchego cheese, cubed

M: Chunk of chorizo sausage, sliced

In a large frying pan fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until the onion starts to brown. Add the cayenne pepper, cumin and smoked paprika and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour over the tin of tomatoes and add half a tin of water. Give it a good stir, season, sprinkle over the thyme and leave on a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

M: In a small frying pan gently fry the chorizo until it starts to crisp up. Add half the tomato sauce and crack in 2 of the eggs. Fold the white into the sauce and leave to cook for a few minutes. Half cover with a lid to cook through the top of the egg too.

V: Add the other half of tomato sauce to another small frying pan, sprinkle over the cheese cubes and crack in the remaining 2 eggs. Fold the white into the sauce and leave to cook for a few minutes. Half cover with a lid to cook through the top of the egg too.

Don’t bother with plates and just eat from the pan, dipping fresh crusty bread into the gooey egg yolks.

Coca de Trempo – Pepper and Onion Coca

Coca de Trempo

Coca comes from the Balearic Islands: it’s very similar to a slim-line pizza (no cheese!) but served at room temperature and equally delicious. A bread dough topped with traditional Spanish ingredients, makes Coca a great breakfast, lunch, tapas or snack. When I’m on holiday in Mallorca I like to buy a slice from the panaderia (bakery) for brunch to nibble on my long walk down to the beach. There are many different varieties of Coca (both sweet and savoury) and here is a recipe for a simple Coca de Trempo – pepper and onion coca. To mix it up I sometimes add artichoke hearts, olives or anchovies too.

Serves: 4, vegetarians and/or meat-eaters.

For the dough

250g strong plain flour

1 ½ tsp dried yeast

1tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

A pinch of sugar

200ml warm water

A knob of butter, melted

For the topping

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

4 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and chopped

Handful fresh parsley, chopped

Olive oil

Whisk together half of the warm water with the yeast and sugar and leave to stand for about 10 minutes until a frothy head forms.

Mix the flour, salt, yeast mixture, oil and butter, and add a little at a time of the remaining water to make a soft, pliable dough. Knead for 10 minutes and place covered in a bowl in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees, gas mark 6. 

Meanwhile, mix together the peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, a glug of olive oil and season with sea salt to taste.

Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick and curl up the edges to make a border. Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle the mixed vegetables over evenly. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool and serve at room temperature.

Paella de verduras – Vegetable Paella

Paella de Verduras

Paella gets its name from the dish which it is made in - a flat bottomed metal pan. It originated in Valencia as a peasant dish made with rice and left-overs. Gradually vegetables from the garden followed by chicken, rabbit and snails from the countryside helped lift Paella’s reputation into its current international fame.

Paella is the perfect summer lunch-time dish (the Spanish consider it too heavy to eat in the evening) which is eaten outside and always served warm, not hot. The best part of the Paella is the rice that sticks to the bottom. This is known as the Soccorat – named after a town close to Valencia, which was burnt down by the Romans!

There is no official recipe for Paella in Spain, no single agreed upon interpretation of the dish. Paella has nearly as many variations as there are cooks so I cannot give you a master formula but I can give you my tried and tested recipe for Paella de Verduras. The trick is not to add too many ingredients as the main celebration of Paella is the rice.

1tsp sweet smoked paprika

1tsp tumeric

1/2tsp caenne pepper

A pinch of saffron

1 Spanish onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

4 tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped

800ml vegetable stock

400g paella rice

Handful runner beans, chopped

1 portobello mushroom, sliced

1 tin butter beans, drained and rinced

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped

1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Place the saffron in a cup and cover with a little boiling water, leave to steep for 10 minutes.

In a paella pan, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes, saffron, tumeric, paprika, caenne pepper and seasoning and cook for 1 minute, making sure the spices are distributed evenly. Stir in the runner beans, mushrooms and peppers and cook for a few minutes, adding a splash of the stock if necessary. Pour over the paella rice and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and give it a good stir before turning the heat down to a medium-low setting and leaving to simmer for half an hour. To ensure the dish cooks right though, turn the pan every 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, cover with newspaper or a damp. Folded cloth and leave to stand for a further 5-10 minutes, while the rice continues to cook and absorb the liquid

Serve with a few wedges of lemon.

Spanish Chickpea salad

Spanish Chickpea Salad

 

This is a spicy and refreshing Spanish chickpea salad that works as a great side dish or tapas.

Serves: 4

2 x400g tins chickpeas, drained or 150g dried chickpeas soaked overnight.

1 garlic clove, crushed into a paste using sea salt

1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

½ medium sized cucumber

Handful cherry tomatoes, deseeded (seeds kept aside) and finely chopped

Handful fresh mint and parsley, chopped

1tbsp red wine vinegar

squeeze of lemon

olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

In a bowl mix the red onion and red wine vinegar and leave for a few minutes, this lightly softens the taste of the onion. Add the garlic, chili, lemon juice, dash of olive oil and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients and season. Chill before serving.

Spanish Butter Bean Stew with Spanish or Vegetarian Sausages

Butter Bean Stew with Spanish Wine and Crusty Bread

Spanish Butter Bean Stew

Mini Casserole Pots

The sudden change of weather made me want to make something warming for dinner so I made a Spanish style butter bean and sausage stew. The Spanish use lots of cumin and sweet paprika, and this dish has a healthy helping of them both.

My guest Anna said it was exactly what she needed and she will be cooking it for her vegetarian friend tomorrow night.

Serves: 2 Vegetarians and 2 Meat eaters.

1 large Spanish onion

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 x 400g tins of butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2tsp cumin

2tsp sweet paprika

2tsp cayenne pepper

Dash of red wine

Handful spinach

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

V: 4 x vegetarian sausages

Chunk of Manchego cheese, broken up

M: 4 x Spanish sausages (or equivalent tasty sausages)

Chunk of Chorizo, chopped

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in the paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and butter beans and a tin full of water. Give it a good stir before adding a dash of wine and seasoning.  Bring to the boil and leave bubbling for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the spinach at the end and divide the sauce between two casserole dishes.

Meanwhile…

V: Fry the vegetarian sausages on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

M: Fry the Spanish sausages on a medium heat for about 10 minutes and add the chorizo for a minute at the end.

Add the vegetarian sausages to one casserole dish and the vegetarian ones to the other. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.

V: Sprinkle over the Manchego cheese before serving.

Mallorcan rice

Mallorcan Rice

The Spanish have many rice dishes, paella being the most popular and renowned. This delicate Mallorcan rice dish is full of varied textures and works well both as a light lunch with salad or as a side dish. I served it with a juicy Mallorca oven-baked fish/aubergine dish.

Serves 2

½ litre vegetable stock                 

200 g long grain rice (100g per person)

2 potatoes, peeled, diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly crushed

2 tomatoes, halved

Handful, Chickpeas from a tin (if using dried, soak over-night before cooking)

Sea salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Fry garlic and potatoes in a little olive oil, until slightly soft. Add the halved tomatoes, chickpeas and rice and continue frying for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over the boiling stock, stir together and transfer to an oven dish. Bake covered for approx 18 minutes.

Mallorcan Tumbet

France has Ratatouille, Bulgaria has Turlu Guvec and Mallorca has Tumbet.

Each dish is a slightly different variation of the other but each version is simply made, allowing the natural juices of the vegetables to mix together.

Local Vegetables

Tumbet

Tumbet

You will need to put a bit of time aside for the Mallorca Tumbet as it involves frying all the ingredients separately before baking in the oven. To pass the time, it's always good to have a companion. I was joined by Señor Oveja (Mr Sheep) who popped his head through the window to sample the tantalizing dish!

Señor Oveja

I find Mallorcan cookery can sometimes be quite oily so I try to use as little oil as I can. If you have one, use a spray to lightly spray the pan with olive oil before frying or pour in as little as possible and spread evenly.

Tumbet is the perfect accompaniment to a lovely lamb chop or a simple fried egg.

I opted for the vegetarian dish this evening as the eggs in Mallorca are extremely fresh and flavoursome.

Serves: 1 vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

2 large potatoes (preferably mallorca) peeled, sliced

1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 aubergine, sliced – salted, drained on kitchen paper

I courgette, sliced

Sauce

6 tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1tsp cayenne pepper

Handful fresh herbs or 1 tbsp mix of dried herbs – parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary

For the sauce, cook all ingredients in a little olive oil for 30 minutes. Season to taste and add a little water to keep the sauce moist throughout.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

Meanwhile, fry all the Tumbet ingredients separately in a very small amount of olive oil for approx 6 minutes each, turning halfway.

Layer a dish with each of the Tumbet ingredients.

Push tomato sauce through a colander, discarding skins and pour over layered vegetables. Bake covered for 30 minutes.

Tumbet is a great dish on its own but sometimes I serve it with:

V: a fried egg

M: a lamb chop 

Mallorcan Tumbet with Fried Egg