Tonight I experimented with a tapas-style dinner. Tapas is a style of Spanish cuisine that consists of a variety of tasty mini-dishes. It's almost like an entire meal made of appetizers. I made three different dishes because I was only cooking for two people, but tapas are great for parties.
Deviled Eggs (Huevos Rellenos de Atun)
Mats:
12 eggs
2 cans of tuna, packed in oil
1/4c light mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
Paprika - for garnish
Place the eggs in the bottom of a deep pot. Single layer - don't stack them. Fill the pot with water to a depth of 2 inches over the tops of the eggs.
Put the pot on the stove over high heat, bring to a boil, then boil for 10 minutes.
Remove the hard-boiled eggs from the water with a slotted spoon. Put them on a plate and let them cool. It'll take about a half-hour, or shorter if you stick them in the freezer.
Peel the shells off the eggs. It's a bit easier to do under cold running water.
Slice the eggs in half from top to bottom
Remove the yolks from the eggs and put them in a bowl.
Drain the tuna and add it to the egg yolks
Add the mayonnaise and salt.
Mush the yolks, tuna and mayo together with a fork. You want to combine it into a paste.
Grab a bit of the yolk paste and form it into a ball about the size of the yolk-hole in the whites. Place the ball back into the white.
Sprinkle a pinch of the paprika over the eggs.
Garlicky Mushrooms (Seta y ajo)
Mats:
2 Tbsp olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
2c white wine
2 Tb fresh parsley
Polenta rounds - for serving
Heat the olive oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add the mushrooms and cook on low for 10 minutes without stirring.
Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Boil until all the liquid has evaporated (stirring occasionally); it took me about 25 minutes to cook it all off.
Snip or chop the parsley very fine, add it to the mushrooms and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
Serve on top of cooked polenta rounds or just spear the mushrooms with toothpicks.
Tomato Toast Rounds (Pan tostado y tomate)
Mats - makes 6 rounds:
2 large slicing tomatos
6 slices bread - sandwich bread is fine, but little crostinis or baguette is good.
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
6 leaves of fresh basil
dried oregano
olive oil
If you're using sandwich bread, cut out circles in the bread. Easiest way is to find a glass with about the same circumference as your tomatoes and press it into the bread, then pull away the excess.
Brush the bread rounds with olive oil on one side, then sprinkle a pinch (about 1/8 tsp) of oregano on each.
Toast the rounds either in a toaster oven or on a sheet pan in the oven at 350 for 3 minutes.
Trim the tomatoes, discard the stem side, and slice into rounds about 1/2 inch thick.
Top each toast slice with a slice of tomato
Sprinkle the tomato with a bit of cheese
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