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.

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. 

Pub Review: The Colonel Fawcett, Camden

The Colonel Fawcett

On Saturday I went to the launch party of The Colonel Fawcett pub located in the back streets of Camden.

The clientele mixed between locals who have lived in the area for years to trendies excited about a new spot in town. The venue was heaving as the night continued until 2am (drinking downstairs and dancing upstairs) and there was a queue of eager punters desperate to get in from as early as 9pm.

As an early bird I got to sample quite a few of the free drinks and a delicious array of canapés which included mini battered fish with pea and mint dip and tartar sauce, fig with nougat and crème fraiche and gorgeous creamy white chocolate balls.

After tasting what was on offer and having a sneak peak at the daily menu (British dishes made from fresh, seasonal produce), I am keen to book a table soon, as I expect it will be a pub meal to remember.

Pub Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, Stamford Brook

The Duches of Cambridge (formally The Brook)

On Sunday I travelled across London for the soft launch of the new venue and menu of The Duchess of Cambridge in Stamford Brook.

The friendly yet nervous staff greeted us and handed over the menus. There was a fantastic wine list and an extensive selection of beer.

The Vegetarian (my brothers girlfriend) was pleased with her nut roast. It was good to see a meat free option, a vegetarian friend was at pub down the road from the Duchess of Cambridge the other day and was dismayed to discover that out of the 14 dishes, not one was vegetarian!

The starter we chose to share was dissappointingly bland; a puff pastry with four cherry tomatoes. The roast beef main meal would have benefited from less salt and more flavour. We later discovered the gravy was Bisto based which, was a huge disappointment too. This was a soft launch so hopefully the food will improve soon.

There is scope for the future and news of a new beer only bar, a cheese week which, launches the cheese board and a beer festival in the pipe line.
Fingers crossed everything pulls together - having grown up in the area, we are all keen to see this work.

Let me know if you have a different experience. There is a sandwich menu during the week, which I am yet to see or taste so perhaps this is where they will shine.

Calamares Fritos or Crispy Onion Rings

Calamares Fritos

The shallow frying makes this tapas dish a little bit naughty but as the Calamares Fritos are made from fresh squid and served with a wedge of lemon, there is a light and refreshing element too.

When I make Calamares Fritos as part of a tapas dinner, the Vegetarian has a Crispy Onion Ring alternative.

Serves: 2 Vegetarians and 2 Pescatarians, as part of tapas

P: 1 squid, gutted and sliced into rings about 1cm wide
V: 1 Spanish onion, sliced into rings

2 Tbsp Corn flour
2 Tbsp Plain flour
Salt and pepper

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

In a pan heat the corn oil until it starts to bubble.

V: Gently pat dry the onion rings with a tea towel. Coat with the flour, shake off the excess and place in the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. You can do a few at a time but don’t overcrowd the oil as it will lose heat and not cook through properly.

P: Coat each ring of squid in the flour, shake off the excess and place in the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. You can do a few at a time but don’t overcrowd the oil as it will lose heat and not cook the squid properly.

Serve with a wedge of lemon.

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.

Restaurant Review: Sam’s Brasserie

Sam's Brasserie

Last night a Pescatarian and I were lured across town on a Monday evening by the promise of complimentary treats at the newly refurbished Sam’s Brasserie in Chiswick.

We were greeted by Sam Harrison (the man behind the name) at the new quirky American-diner style bar where we nibbled on spicy pop-corn and flatbread, and three sizable portions of hummus, babaganoush and the best light and creamy taramasolata I have ever tasted.  

Tasty Treats

Our treats were part of the exciting revised New York style bar menu. Other highlights included a skinny burger with lots of salad and no bun, a Butchers board, and Padron peppers with sea salt (my absolute favourite snack when I lived in Spain).  

Steak and Kidney Pudding

The new restaurant menu tickled our fancy even more so we carried our drinks across the buzzing bar and into the relaxed restaurant, where we were complimented on the hearty dishes we chose: Steak and kidney pudding with swede and carrot mash and an extra jug of gravy and a humongous fresh plaice with a parsley and caper sauce.  Even though we were full to the brim we somehow managed to share an irresistible blackcurrant cheesecake with port and apple sorbet.

Blackcurrant Cheesecake

As we were leaving, we discovered we had just missed Rick Stein who had been filming his Christmas special there that day. But he will be back in November for his Sea-Food Pop up shop.

If you want to sample the complimentary snacks get down to Sam’s Brasserie during September (Monday - Thursday) between 6pm and 8pm.

Oh, and how could I forget - the cocktails are worth a tipple too.

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.

Copenhagen Cooking

My Travelling Buddy!

 

Last weekend I spent my time in Copenhagen and got to sample food from some of the best restaurants at the Copenhagen Cooking festival. Unfortunately, as it was a last-minute decision to go there, I was too late to book a table at any of the 13 Michelin starred restaurants, which by the way, are also all closed on Sundays and Mondays. I was especially gutted about Noma, which has a 90-day waiting list and has been ranked in the top 3 restaurants in the world.  Another restaurant I missed was The Paul. Luckily, however, I’ve heard on the grapevine that chef Paul Cunningham has a new book out next year so I can at least sample some of his food  - albeit cooked by myself!

I managed to sample a variety of Nordic flavours nonetheless as the City celebrated quality produce and a resurgence of pride in the nation’s cookery. Copenhagen Cooking is on until 4th September 2011 so if you haven’t booked a flight, it’s not too late to do so.

Here are a few of my highlights…

Brunch

Café Dut Gule Hus, Istedgade 48.

Café Dut Gule Hus

Brunch is a very popular meal in Copenhagen with most cafés offering a dedicated brunch menu until 2pm, and some serving as late as 4pm. A local man recommended Café Dut Gule Hus, in the up and coming area of Vesterbrø, which was possibly one of the best brunches I’ve ever had. It was exactly what brunch should be – a big meal with many options, perfect for an indecisive and greedy eater like me. 

The Vegetarian had an equally satisfying alternative, although the Danish seem to be similar to the Spanish in their thinking and do not quite understand what a vegetarian is: they put pescatarian and vegetarian under the same title.  (Mind you, this did work in my favour, as I got an extra pot of salmon mousse to nibble on.) 

The Vegetarian's Brunch

My Brunch

If all of that wasn’t enough, we copied the table next to us and ordered a side dish of pancakes and maple syrup too!

 

Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Aamans Smørebrøds Resturant and Deli - Øster Farimagsgade 10 

Aamans Smørebrøds

The Smørebrød is a Danish open sandwich that is eaten at lunch. A thin slice of rye bread is layered with a selection of fish or meats, a thick dressing and raw or pickled vegetables. It’s actually very filling and two or three heavy topped smørebrød will leave you feeling pretty full.

Although smørebrød is a popular lunchtime snack, many venues make it badly and over-layer it with toppings and dressings so it was great to hear about Aamans restaurant and taste smørebrød as it should be. 

Aamans is a smørebrød restaurant with Deli next door, run by popular TV chef Adam Aamans, who is famous for his smørebrød.

Herring is particularily key to a good smørebrød and the waiter at Aamans immediately told us what the herring of the day was: elderflower pickled and pan-fried. I couldn’t refuse the speciality so I chose one smørebrød with herring and another with salmon. 

My Smørebrøds

Unfortunately they were lacking in options for the Vegetarian so he had the only veggie dish, which was layers of potatoes and picked vegetables, and the cheese board option, which came with rhuburb chutney.

The Vegetarian's Smørebrøds

We decided to take the waiter’s recommendation of a home-made schnapps to go with our smørebrød too - I had an elderflower version and the Vegetarian had rhuburb.

Rhubarb and Elderflower Schnapps

Cofoco - Les Trois Cochons - Værnedamsvej 10

Cofoco - Les Trois Cochons

Les Trois Cochons is part of the popular Cofoco chain in Copenhagen. It’s a French-style brasserie with a Danish twist. The concept is one of fine but wallet-friendly gastronomy served up in pleasant relaxing surroundings. There is a choice of a 3 course or 6 course menu with starter-sized portions. We went for the 6 course menu as we like to try as many dishes as we can, whenever we can – we had done lots of cycling that day so we did deserve a big dinner too.

There were few options for a vegetarian but our waiter kindly checked with the chef before we decided upon our 6 course menu and the chef was happy to accommodate.  In hindsight my eyes were bigger than my belly and the 4 course meal would have been satisfying enough.

My favourite of the 6 courses was the cured salmon with a mix of cucumber and pickled cucumber balls and horseradish cream. The slow cooked beef with mustard and poached egg was delicious too. We both thoroughly enjoyed the tomato risotto with goats cheese, and the winner for the Vegetarian was the sweet tender beetroot with raspberry sauce, pickled onions and pistacios – flavours he would never consider combining, especially as he has always hated both beetroot and pickled onions.

Tomato Risotto with Goats Cheese

Beetroot with Raspberry Sauce

Beef with Mustard and Poached Egg

 

For dessert we had a refreshing raspberry sorbet with a licorice cube, sweet sugary square, pyramids of beetroot puree, torn raspberries and warm mini meringues. 

Refreshing Raspberry Dessert

 

New Concepts!

Copenhagen has many new concepts about eating, including the very popular do-it-yourself approach.

Skildapadden Café and Sandwich Bar – Gråbrødretorv 9.

Skildapadden Café

 

I became over-excited when I stumbled across Skildapadden Café and Sandwich bar, where I got to create my own sandwich. I chose from several exciting types of bread, including a healthy coarse brown bread and a spinach Foccacia. I then selected a main filling from the counter, which had a variety of meats and cheeses, from Italian sausage and cooked Danish ham to Mozzarella and Gorgonzola. I then took my open sandwich to the salad bar and absolutely filled it to the top and let it overflow with crisp vegetables, homemade dressings and delicious toppings. If you like melted cheese and warm bread, you can warm your sandwich on the barbecue, too.

Lots of Salad and Dressing Options

More Dressing Options

The Vegetarian's Sandwich

Packed with Ingredients

My Over-flowing Sandwich

I was over-the-moon and decided this was the next best thing to bring to London, until I tried to describe the concept to a friend back home. Our conversation went along the lines of : “I’ve found an amazing new café you should go to . . . It’s brilliant! You go there and you… make your own sandwich.” It didn’t sound quite so impressive when I said it aloud.

So, what do you think? Should I leave Skildapadden as a fond memory or could this actually be the next best thing?

Bio Mio- Halmtorvet 19.

Bosch

Bio Mio was another ‘new concept’ location with a similar ‘do-it-yourself’ approach. You receive a card on entry, which you then use to order food from the chef (who is already busy cooking) and you order your drink at the bar; you collect your food and drink when called, and pay as you exit. 

Bio-Mio is located in the meat-packing district in a converted Bosch Showroom. Apparently, it’s Denmark’s largest organic restaurant, full of local, climate-friendly ingredients.

The portions are pretty big, I ordered a mussel and prawn stew from the light options but it came in a large dish with a side of bread and an unrecognisable root vegetable garlic dip; it was very filling indeed. The Vegetarian had an interesting Indian risotto made with quinoa, and we needn’t have had, but we did, share a bowl of pickled roasted potatoes, which came with the strange garlic dip again. 

Indian Risotto

Pickled Potatoes with Garlic Dip

Mussel and Prawn Stew

After much deliberation we discovered that the dip was, in fact, garlic mashed potato so no wonder we were so full! We had been, consecutively, dipping bread and potato into mashed potato!

Wienerbrød - Danish Pastry

Wienerbrød

It is very important to eat as many Danish Pastries as possible when in Copenhagen – The Vegetarian had a record of five at breakfast alone. The Danish Pastry or Wienerbrød (Viennese Bread - named after the art of flaking the pastry, which was taught in Vienna) is light, flakey and crispy. The Vegetarian loved a cinnamon and chocolate Wiernerbrød but my favourite of the bunch was a flaky pastry with a gooey splodge of custard in the middle, named Bargerens Darlige Oje or ‘baker’s infected eye’!

Emmery’s Bakery - there are a few shops around the city - didn’t fail to deliver every time.

Another great spot for a relaxing and eating a sweet treat is The Living Room in the inner city, which also offers a selection of organic teas. The venue has sofas inspired by 60’s & 70’s Danish furniture and a laid back Moroccan style Tea Room to explore.

Copenhagen Beer

A trip to Copenhagen wouldn’t be complete without sampling a few of the huge range of local beers. Even a non-beer drinker such as myself managed to find quite a few to enjoy

Mikkeller - Viktoriagade No. 8 BC.

Mikkeller

A stylish underground bar in the Vesterbrø district with a great variety of beers - 20 are Mikkeller’s own brewed specialties. They put quality before quantity and focus on creating short uncompromising beer.

The staff were very friendly and helpful: I explained I was in the mood for something light and fruity, and was recommended the pilsner with hibiscus – exactly what I wanted.

Norrebro Bryghus- Ryesgade 3. 
 

Norrebro Bryghus

Award-winning Norrebro Bryghus ‘elevates and expands’ Danish beer culture by creating a bar with a brewery: they sell specialty beers brewed in their in-house brewery. 

I had a brewed-on-the-premises raspberry beer which was light and fruity, and the Vegetarian went for the Red beer, which he quickly guzzled after our afternoon cycling around the city.
 

90eren – Gammel Kongevej 90.
 

Slow Beer

Founded in 1916, Vinstue 90 has retained its original charm. They say little has changed over the years. It’s the only bar in Copenhagen that sells uncarbonated cask style Carlsberg (from a nearby brewery). The 15-minute wait for the slow poured beer was worth it; it has a strong hop and creamy head and is apparently reminiscent of the original Carlsberg produced in the mid-nineteenth century.