Gambas Pil Pil

By and Large in Andalusia there is a culture of rarely drinking alcohol without eating, makes a lot of sense, of course the English in Spain don't always take a lot of notice and seem to drink morning noon and night.

 But the Tapas culture is a wonderful thing that I really enjoy, little nibbles are so often more exciting than the big event, and in Spain Lunch is very much the main meal and Tapas will often suffice in the Evening.

My favourite Tapas is Gambas Pil Pil, Its very quick and simple and this is very much an authentic recipe that you will see throughout Spain. Key is to use very Fresh Raw Prawns, the pre cooked ones will go rubbery, Shell them and put in a bowl with a tsp of Paprika Picante and a squeeze of Lemon juice.

 In a Cazuelita which is an earthenware dish that can be put on an Electric or Gas Hob, heat to a Medium High Heat with some Good Quality Virgin Olive Oil add 5 or 6 finely chopped cloves of Garlic, dried or chopped Fresh Chillies and add your raw Prawns , after a minute or so they turn pink add a glass of Manzanilla or white wine, it will bubble and sizzle scatter some chopped Parsley and serve with crusty bread to mop up those delicious juices and a glass of ice cold Manzanilla.

Frittata

 The Italian Frittata always seems to me to be the more casual relation to the more formal traditional fold over French Omelette and I rather like that. You will never see this on an Italian Restaurant Menu, it is meant  to be a dish served at home, a heart warming dish using up mostly Mediterranean Vegetables but you know you can put whatever you like in this

 I live in Spain and adore Tortilla or Spanish Omelette which traditionally is just Potatoes Onions garlic and a little Egg, so I do like more often than to use a lot of Potato in my Frittata.

So on this occasion I started with Chopped Potato and Onion and cooked them in Olive Oil for around 20 Minutes. I then added some sliced Red Pepper some chopped Chilli, Some dried Parsley some mushrooms I had left, and a handful of Spinach,

Once the Spinach had wilted I added 4 Eggs which I had whisked up in a bowl with a fork..let it cook only a couple of minutes and then put the whole pan under a preheated grill for around 5 minutes until it has bubbled up and tinged a little.

You could make this with or without Potatoes or Mushrooms , you could add cheese, its up to you, Its a wicked dish great served Hot or Cold and wonderful on Picnics

Pimientos de Padron

Absolutely one of my favourite tapas dishes, these delicious little Green capsicums are from the town of Padron in Galicia. I guess they may be quite difficult to buy outside of Spain so you may need to go to a specialist Spanish supplier.

They are deliciously sweet but one in a dozen or so is very hot, you really can't tell looking. They are simply cooked in a skillet with Olive Oil heated until it is nearly smoking hot then add the peppers, (wash and dry them first) for 4 or 5 minutes turning from time to time until slightly blistered and charred.

Drain the Peppers on some kitchen paper, and sprinkle generously with Sea Salt or salt Flakes. Irresistible with an ice cold glass of Manzanilla.

Tortilla Espanola

This has to be the most popular dish in Spain and for good reason, it is filling flavoursome and cheap to make. I make a couple every week, they are delicious hot but I tend to put them in the fridge to have as a midnight snack, as Tapas or a slice between meals.

As in every dish you need very fresh ingredients so only the freshest eggs. The secret is to have lots of onions and potatoes and really very little egg.
Start in a non stick frying pan with about 1cm of Olive Oil on a medium heat add chopped onions and slices of potatoes and let them gently cook for around half an hour breaking the Potatoes with a wooden spoon. It won't look the most appetising as it will go a brownish colour and look a bit of a mush.
Take it off the heat and drain the mixture onto some kitchen paper and let it cool slightly.
In a bowl break a fresh egg and beat with a fork and season with Rock salt and Pepper, I add some chopped Parsley and Tarragon but that is not traditional.
Add the Potato and Onion Mixture to the bowl and mix together.
Take a small non stick frying pan, one with rounded edges add 1tsp of Olive Oil over a medium heat and add the mixture,takes about 2 minutes gently push the side of the Tortilla with a spatula to help round the edge.
Invert the Tortilla onto a plate, slide it back into the pan to cook the other side again around 2 minutes.
It should be runny in the middle. Eat straight away with some seasoning or put in the fridge and serve cold. Delicious.

Gazpacho

Andalusia in a glass, I have seen dozens of versions from jolly posh ones served in London restaurants in a bowl with chopped accompaniments, to Gazpacho made with added onion spices and God knows what, but to be honest this is a peasant dish, brought originally by the Romans,it is simple and should be so.

It's probably the dish most commonly consumed in Spain, It needs very fresh ingredients apart from the stale bread which is essential.

All it is, is fresh Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Pepper or Green, Garlic, Olive Oil and some stale bread soaked in water with a little Sherry Vinegar, Seasoned with Salt and Pepper and blitzed with a hand Blender.

Refrigerate and always serve in glasses not Bowls with an extra glug of quality Olive Oil. This is a Summer Salad soup ,very Healthy. Don't be tempted to add other ingredients keep it rustic and simple and authentic.

Pulpo Gallego

This is a very old and traditional dish from Galicia,and you will find it throughout Spain,it couldn't be simpler just potatoes and Octopus,but what a dish.

Put your Octopus in the freezer overnight,it makes a big difference when you cook it and breaks down the fibres, the Octopus should not be in the least bit tough.Cooking is easy just add frozen to a pot of boiling water,don't salt the water,after an hour take out the pot and leave to cool then just cut the tentacles into small slices and refrigerate to cool.

In a saucepan boil some salted water and add round slices of potato, about 70mm in thickness and  boil just for a few minutes ,so that a fork will easily penetrate the potato,refresh the potatoes in a colander under cold water and pat dry with some kitchen towel

To serve arrange the potatoes on a plate,or more traditionally on a  wooden board place the Octopus pieces on top sprinkle with Sweet Paprika and and a good glug of your very best Olive Oil.

Its great as a starter or a tapas dish  a light lunch or in my case an easy Supper,serve with a chilled glass of Manzanilla

Chorizo and Tomato Salad

I first had this dish many years ago in a small Tapas bar in Seville and they were kind enough to give me the recipe, it's a dish I have quite often when its hot,I love the hot chorizo and the cold Tomato with those lovely fragrant chorizo Oils.

You need very fresh and very flavoursome Tomatoes, slice them up in any shapes you like,put them in a bowl add a sprinkling of rock salt and a little black pepper.

Add a tablespoon of Sherry vinegar a small glug of your very best Spanish extra virgin Olive Oil, add some very finely slices of fresh Spring Onion, and put in the fridge for around half an hour

In a frying pan add a little light olive oil, get the heat high,then add sliced Picante(the Spicy one) Chorizo,turn the heat down to medium, and cook two minutes either side.

Put your tomato salad on a plate add put the hot Choritzo on top with a spoon or two of the choritzo oil, sprinkle from a height some freshly chopped Parsley,and enjoy.I promise you will have this again and again perfect with ice cold Manzanilla