Tapas Recipes - Tapena Spanish Wines

Spanish Tempranillo Red Wine

Any tapas bash should begin with a trip to the market for Spanish cheeses, olives, marcona almonds, anchovies, and dry-cured chorizo or good salami. After that, it’s up to you. Choose one of our menus below, provided by Anya von Bremzen's "The New Spanish Table", or compose your own...

The Spontaneous Soiree - Tapas party, tonight. Grab the list and go.
The Delectable Dinner - You like to cook but love to keep it simple.
The Formidable Feast - You've got time and energy to spare. Why not use it to amaze your friends with your kitchen prowess and Spanish know-how?

The Spontaneous Soiree
Basic One-Cup Aioli
Catalan Guacamole
Sizzling Garlic Shrimp Easy Skewers
Easy Skewers

The Delectable Dinner
Asturian Chorizo in Hard Cider
Blue Cheese and Date Croquettes
Crisp Shrimp Pancakes from Cadiz
Canapes with Piquillo Pepper and Anchovy Revuelto

The Formidable Feast
Chiringuito Seafood Paella
Moorish Kababs
Potato Towers with Tuna and Olives
Saffron-flavored Clams and Potatoes
Black and white calamari fritters
Truffled Turkey and Wild Mushroom Croquettes
Veal-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Still feeling ambitious? You can always throw in a few of our quick and easy tapas, dishes so simple they don’t really require recipes.

We will be adding new Tapas recipes to the website on a regular basis, so be sure to check back soon. Join our mailing list to receive our quarterly e-newsletter with new recipes, news and more.

Also, don't forget to follow these tips on planning the perfect Tapas party!

Source: Recipes © 2005 from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. Featuring over 300 unique recipes, The New Spanish Table protrays the food and culture of Spain at its most vibrant. The perfect pairing for delicious Spanish wines!. (Workman Publishing Co. Inc.)

Spanish Tapas

> • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons best-quality white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the kebabs
• 1½ pounds pork shoulder or tenderloin, leg of lamb, or chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs, cut into ¾-inch cubes

Directions:
1. Place the onion, garlic, sweet and hot paprikas, 2 teaspoons of the salt, the oregano, peppercorns, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, vinegar, wine (if using), and olive oil in a mini food processor and process to a paste.
2. Place the pork in a bowl and rub a little salt on it. Scrape the marinade into the bowl with the meat and toss to combine thoroughly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pork for 4 to 6 hours, tossing a few times. Let the meat come to room temperature before grilling.
3. Soak 16 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Light the grill and preheat it to medium-high or preheat a large ridged grill pan to medium-high over medium heat.
4. When ready to cook, thread the meat onto the skewers and brush it with a little olive oil. Cook the meat, brushing with olive oil and turning once, until it is just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. (If you are cooking lamb, and would like it medium-rare, don't cook it quite so long.) Serve the kebabs at once. Serves 8 as a tapa, 4 as a light main course.

Garlic Basic One-Cup Allioli

Spaniards are convinced that everything tastes better with allioli, the potent garlic mayonnaise that enlivens dozens of dishes, from paellas to shellfish to fritters to boiled potatoes to grills.

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup peanut or canola oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large egg yolks
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Stir together both oils in a measuring cup with a spout. Place the garlic, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a blender and pulse until a coarse paste forms. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, thin, steady stream. The mixture will be the consistency of a thick mayonnaise. Scrape the allioli into a bowl, and season with salt to taste, and more lemon juice, if desired. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving, or cover and refrigerate if keeping longer. If the allioli seems too thick, thin it out with a little water before using. Makes just over 1 cup.

Tomato Bread
pan con tomate

Whether it's breakfast, lunch, tapas, or dinner, a Spanish meal is pretty much unimaginable without a slice of country bread rubbed with a tomato half and drizzled with fruity olive oil. We encourage the meat eater in you to top this tapa with authentic Spanish serrano ham found in gourmet retail shops

Ingredients:
• 12 to 16 thick slices of crusty, very coarse-textured bread such as ciabatta
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic (optional)
• 4 very ripe, juicy medium tomatoes
• Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
• Coarse salt

Directions:
1. Toast bread slices in the oven, turning once, or in a toaster until golden brown
2. Peel garlic, if using, and rub desired amount on toasted bread. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and rub toast with cut side of tomatoes, squeezing gently so that each piece of toast is coated with juice, bits of tomato flesh, and seeds. Drizzle toast with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Easy Skewers
banderilleras

Bites impaled on a stick are the most ubiquitous and beloved kind of tapa. They are called banderillas, after the colorful darts employed in bullfighting. Skewers of briny, appetite-stimulating things are ideal companions to aperitivos and can be put together in minutes at home. Keep in mind that these tapas should be rather small, to be eaten all in one bite. Use the ideas below, or experiment at your whim.

• A quartered artichoke heart, a cube of Roncal or Manchego cheese, and a cherry tomato
• A chunk of canned tuna sandwiched between pieces of a small pickled cucumber
• A cube of hard salami or chorizo, a pickled pearl onion, and a chunk of red bell pepper
• A hard-cooked egg quarter dabbed with mayonnaise, a poached shrimp, and a rolled-up anchovy
• A chunk of poached salmon, a piquillo pepper, and a cornichon
• A chunk of roasted green pepper, a rolled-up boqueròn (white anchovy), a cube of potato, and a pimiento-stuffed olive
• A cube of aged Manchego cheese and one of membrillo (quince paste), and a chunk of endive or radicchio
• A cube of honeydew melon and a rolled slice of serrano ham

Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
gambas al ajillo

The secret to success with garlic shrimp is very fragrant olive oil that is not too heavy in texture, and a cooking vessel that conducts heat slowly and can be presented at the table for dipping bread. Think deep cast-enamel skillet.

Ingredients:
• 1¼ pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
• 1 cup fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ small dry red chile, such as arbol, crumbled
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Country bread, for serving

Directions:
1. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, then sprinkle salt over them.
2. Place the olive oil and garlic in a 10- to 11-inch earthenware cazuela and heat over medium-low heat until the oil shimmers and the garlic begins to sizzle gently. Cook until the garlic is very fragrant but not colored, 2 to 3 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary. Add the chile and stir for a few seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they just begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes.
3. Season with salt to taste, stir in the parsley, and cook for a few seconds longer. Serve the shrimp in the cazuela with plenty of French bread alongside. Serves 4 or 5 as a tapa, 2 or 3 as a light main course.

Variations: This dish can be made with large shrimp, in which case I like to cook them in their shells to preserve their texture. You can also prepare mushrooms, clams, or small pieces of chicken the same way.

Source: Recipes © 2005 from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. Featuring over 300 unique recipes, The New Spanish Table protrays the food and culture of Spain at its most vibrant. The perfect pairing for delicious Spanish wines!. (Workman Publishing Co. Inc.)