Years ago, my sister-in-law gave me a tapas cookbook, which explains that tapas, small dishes served in Spain, are snacks to be enjoyed sociably before a meal, but we decided to do it up last night with a whole meal of tapas. For the week leading up to our “Tapas Tuesday,” we planned what dishes we would make, and the order in which we would serve them. I stressed that this was not a meal to be gobbled like a Scooby snack, but rather one in which we would set the atmosphere with music, and slowly savor each dish, enjoying the whole experience. Ben informed me that he enjoys eating.
Since we have not eaten in a restaurant since March 13th, I thought we might need a refresher on proper dining etiquette. Ben felt I might need a refresher on what the point of a meal is. Fair enough. I think the balance we ended up with met my desire to elevate the meal to something you might experience at a cafe in Madrid, while still filling Ben’s belly.
The menu:
Roasted miniature peppers stuffed with tuna and cheese
Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, for nibbling between courses
Ham croquettes with allioli
Chorizo frittata
Chocolate cake (which, to our knowledge, has nothing to do with Spain or tapas, but is delicious, nonetheless)
For the stuffed pepper dish, we first roasted miniature peppers. When they had cooled, we cut off the stems and scooped out the seeds. In the food processor, we blended a can of good tuna, packed in olive oil, with about a half a cup of ricotta cheese, salt and pepper to taste, a little parsley, and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Next time, I will increase the lemon juice to a tablespoon and add capers. We sealed a small plastic bag, cut off the tip, and piped the tuna mixture into the peppers, like soft-serve ice cream into cones, an analogy that Ben found hilarious and intriguing.
While all dishes (except the cake) were inspired by the cookbook, tapas: a culinary journey of discovery, by Susanna Tee, the only recipe we followed was for croquettes. Here is our adaptation:
Ham Croquettes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tablespoons flour
Scant 1 cup milk
7 oz. ham, finely diced
Pinch of paprika
1 egg
1 cup day-old breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying
Salt
Allioli*, to serve
Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until softened, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook over low heat 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the milk to form a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens.
Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the ham and paprika, and season to taste with salt. Spread the mixture in a shallow dish, let cool, then cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
When the mixture has chilled, beat the egg lightly in a shallow bowl, and place the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl. Form the mixture into 8 oblong pieces, using two serving spoons to shape pieces, and dip each piece, one at a time, in the egg, and then the breadcrumbs. Place pieces on plate and chill for at least an hour.
Heat an inch of oil to 350-375 degrees, and add the croquettes in batches. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Allioli.
The original recipe requires deep-fat frying. We are not set up for that, either mentally or physically, so shallow frying has to suffice. Ever since the dreaded chicken parm incident of several years ago when I skimped on oil, Ben makes me swear an oath to deliver “The crisp, the whole crisp, and nothing but the crisp,” on fried items. I comply. In fact, sometimes it isn’t even the only oath I swear while cooking with Ben.
Allioli*
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
Chorizo Frittata
1 potato, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bell pepper or 4 mini peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
1 pound chorizo, casings removed, diced
8 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook potato in boiling, salted water for 8 minutes and drain. Heat olive oil in cast iron pan over medium heat. Saute onion, peppers and chorizo until vegetables soften. Add cooked potatoes. Remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk eggs, with salt and pepper to taste (remembering that chorizo is pretty salty), and pour eggs over chorizo and vegetable mixture in skillet. Top with shredded cheese and bake about 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
