Tapas, Spanish appetisers, small casual snacks often eaten in bars, can also make an entire meal. Here are some of my favourite tapas recipes.
Pa amb Tomàquet Called pan con tomate in other parts of Spain, this classic Catalan snack is about as simple and delicious as you can get. There are many variations, but this is how it was taught to me many years ago by my Catalan flatmate, Susie. Susie told me that her family always made […]
Patatas Bravas Named for the ‘bold’ sauce that coats them, these deep-fried potato cubes in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce are one of my favourite tapas dishes when done well – that means freshly fried, not done ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated as happens in too many Spanish restaurants! As the sauce softens the […]
Portuguese Sardine Pate Chef Jose Silva says: “Paté de sardinha, olives and bread are almost always on the table when you walk into a restaurant in portugal, before you even order.” Sardines abound in Portuguese waters and are one of the country’s most popular fish, with each person consuming an average of over 5kg per […]
Pimientos de Padrón (Padron Peppers) Looking for something different to get your next gatherings off to a great start? The darling of many fancy restaurants, Pimientos de Padrón (or Padron peppers) are plump little Spanish chillies grown near Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and they’re the easiest things in the world to prepare (they’re the ones pictured […]
Romesco is a Spanish sauce from the region of Catalonia, where a variation called salvitxada is served as a dip for calçots, local spring onions traditionally charred over open fires – Windy Hills Farm’s baby leeks are a great Australian substitute for calçots. One of Spain’s most popular sauces – with as many variations as there […]
Gazpacho is an ancient Spanish bread soup, possibly dating back to Roman times, which was readily adapted to include the New World tomato in the 18th century. It makes a delicious, appetite-stimulating start to a summer meal and is great in shot glasses for cocktail parties – perfect with an ice-cold Manzanilla Sherry such as […]
