29 June 2011

spanish tapas.


 29 June 2012


Literally, this spread took less that 15 minutes. I was inspired by my craving for white Spanish Rijoa & Jamie Oliver's Best Chorizo & Tomato Salad from his book Jamie Does... Since I do not eat animals for the four-legged kind, I bought some beautiful chicken chorizo from Whole Foods for the salad. Add some crusty bread, some cheese & some beans--& we were in business.

This, like most food on this blog, is a template for what you prefer or already have. For instance, if you are not a fan of chickpeas, go for some cannellini beans--if you do not eat meat, go for a vegetarian chorizo. Because this was hardly what I would call a time consuming meal, it left us plenty of time to eat, drink & be merry--& on a Wednesday no less!

Chorizo & Tomato Salad
serves 4

1 raw organic chorizo sausage, roughly sliced

olive oil
3 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered, smaller ones halved
3 spring onions, finely sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spanish extra virgin olive oil
sherry vinegar
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced



--Fry the sliced chorizo in a pan over a medium heat with a lug of dive oil. Stir it occasionally while you prepare your tomatoes and spring onions. Put them into a bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper, a lug of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley, toss everything together, then put aside.


-- The chorizo should be crispy with beautiful fat cooking out of it. Add the sliced garlic to the pan and keep it moving around. You don't want it to burn, so as soon as it starts to smell fantastic, get the pan off the heat and pour in a small splash of sherry vinegar to stop it cooking further. Stir, then spoon
the crispy chorizo and some of its lovely flavoured oil and garlic over the salad (if you've got any leftover fat in the pan, pour it into a jam jar and store it in the fridge - if you rub it all over a chicken before roasting it will add the most incredible flavour).

--Toss your salad and serve it right away. You'll definitely want some hunks of bread to mop up all that spicy garlicky dressing.



Warm Smashed Chickpeas
This is also from Jamie Does... as a tapas suggestion. We've made this multiple times, it is so, so easy & really lovely. 

Put a pan on medium heat & 1 15oz can of chickpeas in their juices. Boil for a few minutes.
Take off the heat & use a potato masher to mash the beans into a chunky consistency.
Mix in 1 TBL sherry vinegar & a lug of extra virgin olive oil.
Peel a clove of garlic & grate it into the mixture.
Stir & cook a few more minutes & season with sea salt & cracked pepper.
To serve, drizzle extra virgin olive oil into a well in the center & add a pinch of paprika...It will be really pretty (Jediah put a healthy pinch of Spanish paprika on ours, as you can see!)

accompaniments...
Manchego or a hard sheep's milk cheese 
crusty bread of choice
a jar of roasted red peppers, drained 
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt



happy eatings & cheers!

No comments: