Every now and then, a selection of nibbly tapas-style dishes is exactly what hits the spot. This selection is a few of my favourite things, or, at least, a few of my favourite tapas. Serve this selection with freshly-baked good quality bread, and you’ll be glad you chose the good stuff to set this off.
My top three tapas, which go great together or separately, are as follows:
- Fried eggplant with honey (berenjenas fritas con miel)
- Spicy fried potatoes (patatas bravas)
- Garlic-thyme mushrooms (setas as ajillo)
This selection is fairly easy to juggle, as each dish in itself is relatively simple.
Here’s how to whip up a a Spanish-style tapas selection that’ll suit a wide variety of occasions, be it a brunch, a light dinner, or part of a dinner party spread… 😉
Flavour:Â Elegant, yet simple and comforting
Serves: 2 as a substantial meal
If you want to scale it up to serve more people, just double or triple (or whatever…!) the quantities, and you’re pretty safe.
Berenjenas fritas con miel
Ingredients:
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- pinch of salt
- grind of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey (you can sub with agave or maple syrup if you prefer, as I do 🙂 )
Directions:
- Cut eggplant into half-centimetre thick rounds
- Place eggplant round on a plate, and sprinkle with salt – leave for 30 minutes (you can be getting on with prepping the other tapas during this time)
- After your 30 minutes is up, rinse the salt off your eggplant rounds, and pat them dry with kitchen paper
- Mix flour, pinch of salt, and a grind of black pepper on a plate, and coat eggplant rounds in the mix
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over a high heat
- Shallow fry the floured eggplant rounds for around 3 minutes on each side – aim to flip these only once, twice maximum – you want to get them golden and crispy
- Once golden and crispy, remove your eggplant rounds from the frying pan, plate up, and drizzle with honey
Patatas bravas
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon tahini sauce (see here for recipe – you can omit the parsley, if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce (I use a good-quality bottled sauce I get at the market – you use whatever you can get your hands on that you like)
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, or a pinch of chilli powder
Directions:
- Bring a small pot of water to the boil
- Cut your potato into large chunks – at least 2cm cubes
- Boil potato chunks for 5 minutes, then strain
- While potato is boiling, mix up your tahini sauce and your spicy tomato sauce – just add chilli to the tomato sauce, and you’re set
- Heat oil in small skillet on high heat
- Shallow fry potatoes until golden and crispy (this should take 5-10 minutes)
- Take potatoes off heat, pat with kitchen paper to remove excess oil, and transfer to serving plate
- Sprinkle with salt, and then drizzle with tahini sauce and spicy tomato sauce
Setas al ajillo
Ingredients:
- 150g oyster mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter substitute (I use Nuttelex)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- half teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- generous grind of black pepper
Directions:
- Heat oil in skillet over high heat, and toss in mushrooms when it’s nice and hot
- Cook mushrooms until they start to turn golden brown – you want them to crisp ever so slightly around the edges
- Toss in your garlic, salt, butter, thyme, and lemon zest, if using – stir well, and cook for 2 more minutes
- Add white wine and black pepper, cook for 2 more minutes, and then remove from heat – transfer to serving dish immediately
