Posts Tagged tapas

Pan Con Tomate

Posted by admin in Recipes on March 23, 2010

Pan Con Tomate, simply put and simply made is fire roasted crusty chewy rustic bread rubbed with fresh garlic, ripe tomato, drizzled with olive oil and finally sea salt. I don’t think it really classifies itself as a Tapa, but more of an accompaniment or building blocks to a main course.

If I recall, and occasionally I recall not so rightly Pan Con Tomate originated in Catalan as a way to extend the life of stale bread on the old farmsteads and used to make sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS (Pan Con Mixture)

  • Vine Ripened Tomatoes x 2
  • Fresh Chopped Garlic 4 tbsp
  • Extra Virgin Olive oil  1/4 cup – the more expensive the better!
  • Sherry Vinegar 2 tbsp
  • Sea Salt – to taste
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

METHOD

  • Grate the tomato into a small mixing bowl. Note that while grating the tomato the skin will be left behind, which is the desired result.  Add remaining ingredients.
  • Cut day old crusty french loaf or your favourite uncut artisan white bread. Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt then grill.
  • Spoon the pan con mixture over the bread and season with a bit more sea salt and black pepper.

That’s it!  Super simple to make and tasty.  Make sure you put the topping on just before you eat it too so the bread doesn’t go soggy.  Enjoy!

Additional Toppings? Spanish Ham, Wild Boar Proscuitto or Chorizo Pamploma from Oyama Sausage Factory or Spanish Style cheese like Manchego.  Check your local cheese monger for an assortment of Spanish Cheese.

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Potato Salad with Tuna

Posted by admin in Recipes on July 15, 2009

potatosalad

Not all potato salad is created equal.

This is a super easy light tapas dish. On my latest visit to Richmond Country Farms I picked up some of our local nugget potatoes which are so tender and sweet.  It’s no secret that being heavy handed with the salt when boiling is essential for Read the rest of this entry »

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Olive Oil vs Butter

Posted by admin in Food Talk on May 6, 2009

s693096766_1157045_1760Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs Butter

I worked for a woman, slightly mad from Barcelona for 16 years, and what she taught me was to respect proper ingredients while preparing authentic Spanish cuisine. I’ll never forget the day early in my career when I thought enhancing my recipe for chicken livers flamed in a rich garlicky sherry sauce, a new Tapas dish, with butter as being a great idea. Read the rest of this entry »

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Chilled Mussels with Cider

Posted by admin in Recipes on May 2, 2009

Such a simple delightful Tapas recipe!

These mussels are delicious served over grilled bread, on crostini or simply in the halfshell as part of a chilled seafood plate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Albacore Banderillas with Asparagus

Posted by admin in Recipes on May 1, 2009

Banderillas… Little skewers.

Banderillas are extremely popular in Spain but not so commonly recognized in North America.  You can load skewers with any fresh quality ingredient imaginable.  Less is more, I’d only go with two, three ingredients max.  With endless flavour combination why wouldn’t you want to invent one of your own?

In this recipe  I’ll share two variations on the dressing for those who shy away from anchovy.

INGREDIENTS

  • twelve 4 inch metal skewers (banderillas)
  • 18 ounces of fresh raw albacore tuna 

Ask your fish monger to portion tuna into 3 oz portions when you get home cut those into  6 even pieces because you’ll need 3 x 1/2 oz piece per skewer.  I apologize for the math!

  • 12 fresh Asparagus spears – medium thickness for skewer to get through.
  • Jamón - Serrano Ham – optional 3rd ingredient.
  • Mediterranean Sea Salt to taste
  • fresh cracked black pepper

ASSEMBLY

  1. Grill or oven roast your asparagus.  Allow to cool.
  2. One piece of asparagus per skewer.  Cut into six pieces
  3. Starting with 2 pieces of asparagus and alternating with raw tuna, optional 3rd ingredient, and most importantly finishing with the last 2 asparagus.  I would put the tip or bud end on very last.
  4. Brush with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sprinkle salt and pepper.
  5. Grill skewer to sear outside of tuna, leave inside pink/raw.  Remove from heat.

Lemon Caper Vinaigrette with Fresh Tarragon

  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped tarragon
  • 1 tsp chopped capers, no juice.
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Mix together!

Sherry Vinaigrette with Anchovy

  • 1 anchovy filet coarsely chopped.
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons sherry or sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped young shallot
  • pinch of La Chinate Smokey Paprika or sweet Spanish paprika

METHOD

Mix together!

Dress with vinaigrette just before serving.  Great little summer BBQ tapas!  Don’t forget to refresh with a glass of Sangria.

Hope you enjoy!

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Bacalao Croquettes

Posted by admin in Food Talk on May 1, 2009

At first I was intimidated by Bacalao because of its dry and unappealing appearance. After making the proper inquiries and of course listening to “the lady from Barcelona”, was pleasantly surprised on how simple the process was to reconstitute the fish. After soaking, rinsing, changing the water six times to fresh water, over night in our walk-in cooler and finally another rinse, the now more appealing cod was ready for use. Read the rest of this entry »

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