Tapas: Albondigas – Spanish Meatballs or Veggieballs

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)in Tomato Sauce is a very popular dish, usually served as tapas in bars up and down Spain or cooked as a main meal at home. Albondigas are usually accompanied by fresh bread to soak up the tomato sauce.

Serves: 4 Vegetarians, 4 Meat-eaters, as part of tapas

2 slices stale bread, made into breadcrumbs

2 eggs

Handful parsley, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Sea Salt and Black Pepper

1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped

1 small glass of dry white wine

1 tbsp plain flour

Olive oil

1 can chopped tomatoes

V: 150g mixed nuts, finely chopped or crushed using a pestle and mortar

50g baby spinach leaves

150ml vegetable stock

M: 200g lean minced beef

150ml beef or chicken stock

V: Mix the nuts, spinach, half the breadcrumbs, half the parsley, half the garlic, ¼ of the onion and season with salt and black pepper. Form into small balls and dust with flour. Heat a glug of olive oil in a casserole pan and sauté the veggieballs until browned all over.

M: Mix the meat, half the breadcrumbs, half the parsley, half the garlic, ¼ of the onion and season with salt and black pepper. Form into small balls and dust with flour. Heat a glug of olive oil in a casserole pan and sauté the meatballs until browned all over.

Divide the remaining onion between the two pans. When the onion is translucent, add half of the tomatoes and wine to each.

V: Add the vegetable stock to the pan with the veggieballs.

M: Add the chicken/beef to the pan with the meatballs

Season to taste and cook covered over a low heat for 40 minutes. Give the pan a shake or stir every now and then, to stop anything sticking.

Tapas: Butterbean Stew

Butterbean Stew

The soft butterbeans in this Spanish stew accompany a Mediterranean tomato sauce filled with a tantalizing mix of spices. This dish is very easy to make and always popular when part of a tapas feast.

Serves: 2 as a main meal or 6, as part of a tapas dinner.

1 Medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 x 250g can butterbeans
1x 250g chopped tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft, add the garlic for a few minutes and stir in the paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper. Cover the onions with the spices then add the chopped tomatoes and half fill the empty tin with water (adding this to the mix too), bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butterbeans and continue to cook through for a further 5/10 minutes.
I usually cook this dish the day before or a few hours ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop. I then quickly re-heat before serving.

M: If I'm cooking this dish as a main meal and I'm in need of a meat fix, I often separately fry a few slices of chorizo and stir into my portion before serving. 

V: If I'm having chorizo, I sprinkle the Vegetarian's dish with a few cubes of Manchego cheese. 

Tapas - Crispy Aubergine Slices with Honey: Berenjenas con Miel

Berenjenas con Miel

I first tried Berenjenas con Miel during my first week living in Barcelona a few years ago. The Vegetarian and I had spent a gorgeous day on the beach and were slowly walking around town, familiarising ourselves with our new Spanish home, when we found a cute Tapas restaurant off the beaten track on Rambla de Raval. I had never heard of this dish before, and neither of us have much of a sweet tooth, but we were both intrigued to see what it could entail.

The aubergines were crisp and the runny honey drizzled over added a sweet twist, helping this dish stand out amongst the other tapas on the table.

Since that day, whenever I have an evening of tapas, I am sure to make Berenjenes con miel which, always become a favourite amongst my guests too.

Serves 4, as part of tapas

1 aubergine, thinly sliced (use a mandolin if possible)
Plain flour
Corn flour
Table Salt
Runny honey

Table salt
Sunflower oil for deep frying

Lay the aubergine slices on a plate and sprinkle over a little table salt, set aside for about 20 minutes - this will draw out any excess moisture. Use kitchen roll to soak up the moisture.

On a plate sprinkle over a layer of plain flour, then a layer of corn flour and mix together.

Fill a large pan 1/3 full with the sunflower oil and heat until it is piping hot (you can test it’s hot enough by adding a small cube of white bread which should brown within 60 seconds).

Lightly coat each aubergine slices in the flours and give them a shake before placing them into the hot oil. Cook for 1 minutes while the colour turns, scoop out using a skillet or draining spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Cook a handful at a time but don't over-fill the pan. Continue until all are draining.

The aubergine slices will become soggy after just one dip so I give them all a double dip in the oil for no more than 30 seconds to crisp them up. This time try not to pile them on top of each other when draining on the kitchen paper so that they keep their crispness.

When they are crisp and drained, toss them in a bowl and drizzle over the runny honey.

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.