Tortilla de Patatas with Smoked PaprikaI parboiled the potatoes, but it's optional. You can also add them straight to the pan, where onion, garlic and a bit of fresh thyme have already been simmering in a good splash of olive oil. Potatoes, cut in thin slices (some prefer them in cubes) should cook there for 10-15 min, seasoned and added 1-2 table spoons of smoked sweet paprika (the amount is totally á gusto, some might find smoked paprika very intense, I personally love it and can't get enough) permanently stirring. Beat 4 eggs á la 'scrambled', I added some milk and freshly ground nutmeg too. Season, and pour into the pan with potatoes. Give it a few minutes and then - the most difficult part - turn the pan into another one (same size), so the tortilla's bottom is on top. I coated the second pan with a bit of olive oil and pre-heated it. Another few minutes and then turn again, if potatoes are cooked and tortilla's sides are nice, brown and crispy, it's ready! Very enjoyable, either hot or cold. I served it with some Pecorino shavings.
Prawn-Tapas with Pickled Peppers
and Serrano Ham
Fresh prawns are a bit of a pain, as it's quite tricky to peel and de-vein them. It's possible to use some ready made frozen stuff, but I always prefer the fresh ones (for my part, P offered his peeling skills to help me out, so always look for somebody available to abuse ;)). I fried the prawns with a nice amount of sliced garlic and red hot chillies in rapeseed oil, they are done pretty quickly. Served on top of rolled Serrano ham and a piece of home pickled pepper on a piece of baguette. There was some home made mayo left from the week, so I topped the canapés with it. Pickling peppers yourself makes a lot of sense, as the good ones are usually very expensive to buy. I slowly roasted them with some good sea salt pepper, fresh thyme, garlic cloves, sprinkled with olive oil. Then skinned the peppers (pain, big time, especially the green ones!) and pickled them over night, adding some more olive oil and some lemon juice (white vinegar possible too).
Black Pudding Canapés with Spinach
and Spicy Chickpea-Puree
Yes, I know. Sounds a bit too much. Or are we saying now, so 'Dubai' ?? Well, it is indeed a kinda self-indulgence that dictates this recipe. As seen in a tapas bar in Dublin, I wanted to recreate this delicious black pudding-spinach-chickpeas dish, by taking it to a canapé level. For the spicy hummus, I roasted some cumin seeds, grounded and added them to a frying pan, where oil, onion, garlic and drained chickpeas were simmering away. After frying all together, adding some (again) smoked paprika and very hot chilli powder, I blitzed it, adding some of the drained chickpea water. Then simply fried slices of black pudding in some oil, as well as the baby spinach with some onion, raisins, salt and pepper, using a different pan. Arranged all together on a piece of baguette, and placed majestically a half of walnut on top of each. Finally I must say, the walnut could be easily replaced with a slice of an apple, the amount of cumin seeds in the hummus could be dramatically reduced and the slice of the black pudding could really go thinner... But all in all, it was a nice piece of exhibitionism!
Shopping list:
Vegetables (fruit&veg shop) € 6,00
Prawns (fish monger) €4,00
Serrano Ham (deli shop) €1,60
Black pudding (butcher) €1,00
Can chickpeas (supermarket) €0,90
Baguette (Bakery) €1,90
....................................................................
Total 15,60
Drinks:
Crémant de Loire, Cave M. Bonnamy, Brut, 12,5%
Beautiful, full-bodied, buttery sparkly with small bubbles and a great aftertaste. And it was half-prize reduced...!
Eternum Viti, Toro, Bodegas Abanico, 2007, 14,5%
Honestly, one of the best Spanish wines I've ever tasted. Full-bodied, but with an amazing smoothness, full of oak and vanilla. Makes you want MORE!
On the stereo: Joanna Newsom and Amiina
again, my mouth is watering! really! The black pudding canapés look delish. yum. Also, like the new "on the stereo" feature, weirdly I've just spent the whole morning listening to joanna newsom! She's got a new album coming out soon, word to the wise. d xx
ReplyDelete...an afterthought. You could do a joanna newsom themed night. Using only the following ingredients: Sprouts, beans, clams, crabs, cockles, cowries and for desert, peaches, plums and pears :) ...or not.
ReplyDelete... aahm, yeah, great idea! Will definitely consider a Joanna Newsom theme ;) Food influenced by music would mean taking it to a completely new level! Thanks for this :) x P
ReplyDeleteIt's funny though that you were listening to Joanna all morning today... as if there were somehow a weird connection ;)
ReplyDeleteVery good idea! I look at your blog every week.
ReplyDeleteI like your canapes
Love Mama
Hello Mama, thanks for looking each week. We are happy you like it and expect some comments each week now!I also look forward to a tapas-friday in Germany when we visit in March!
ReplyDeleteThanks also denise for your comments. Always nice to hear from you and your inspired ideas! Joanna newsom night would also involve drinking Harp i guess?
p2x
I like the potato one, sounds not too difficult,apart from the flipping part. if I do it, I think I will add something meaty in it :)
ReplyDeleteany suggestion?
Hey Lilian, I think it would be no problem with adding some meat into the tortilla. Tortilla de Patatas is just a basic recipe, but there are lots of extended versions out there, with different vegetables and typically some Chorizo (spanish sausage), ham or you could also use some pork mince. Here I would probably fry it in a seperate pan first, and them add to the potatoes. The flipping is a bit tricky, but if you have 2 pans same size it will sure go ok :)
ReplyDelete