Tempting and Tasty Tapas
TAPAS are a traditional Spanish style of dining where a selection of hors d’oeuvre or cocktail snacks are served with light drinks such as Sherry or cider. The custom of eating tapas while enjoying some drinks in the early evening is widespread in bars and cafes in Spain. The word comes from Tapa (meaning lid) because it originally meant a slice of bread (not sliced pan!!! Maybe a baguette or something local) which was placed on top of a glass of wine to protect it from flies.
with Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore’s Award Winning chef Paddy Kennedy
Once a Spanish tradition Tapas bars can now be found all over the world. Tapas can sometimes take the place of dinner because they are so varied and abundant. They may include Prawns in lemon vinaigrette. Marinated Sardines, Stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, courgette fritters or some Iberian hams.
Tapas are ideal to serve when having a large group of friends over for an afternoon and can be more straight forward way of entertaining than hosting formal dinner parties.
Mushroom Parcels
Ingredients Makes 28 Parcels
50g Butter
1 large Spanish onion peeled and finely diced
1kg locally grown mushrooms diced finely
2 Cloves garlic crushed
2g Grated parmesan cheese
25g Fresh breadcrumbs
1 Bunch basil stalks removed and chopped
100g Butter melted
14 Sheets of Filo or spring roll pastry
Milled pepper and salt for seasoning
Method
Heat a large heavy based pan and add the 50g butter.
Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft and all liquid is evaporated.
Add the cheese, breadcrumbs and basil and season with salt and milled pepper.
Lay two sheets of pastry on a lightly floured surface and brush each layer with melted butter.
Cut layered sheets into four strips lengthways.
Place one tablespoon of mixture on each piece of pastry.
Fold each pastry sheet diagonally across filling to form triangular parcels and brush with melted butter.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for about fifteen minutes until pastry is golden brown.
PK Tip
This would be also very nice filled with a mixture of good butcher’s black pudding and apple chutney.
Prawn Skewers
Ingredients 28 skewers
28 Large tiger prawns uncooked withcCocktail sticks
4 Cloves garlic peeled and sliced
50ml Virgin olive oil
25g Butter
10g Ginger finely sliced
1 Small bunch flat parsley stalks removed and coarsely chopped
10 Leaves basil shredded
1 Lemon juiced with pips discarded
14 Cherry tomatoes chopped
1 Shallot peeled and diced
Maldon sea salt and milled pepper
Method
Stick a cocktail stick through each prawn.
Place in a bowl and add Remainder of ingredients, marinate for one hour.
Heat a large heavy based pan and add the prawns and remainder of ingredient.
Cook over gentle heat until prawns are cooked through (about 10 minutes).
Do not allow the mixture to burn.
Season with salt and milled pepper.
Serve on a platter for your guests.
PK tip
Handling raw fish can be leave unpleasant odour on your hands so use plastic or latex gloves when preparing. Your fish monger should be happy to cut and prepare your fish for you so you have minimal handling when cooking.
This weeks featured ingredient Rocket
Rocket is a Mediterranean style plant which also grows wild in Asia with a beautiful pungent taste and smell.It is usually used in salads but can be cooked in a little olive oil with salt and milled pepper. It is also lovely served on a pizza with some sun-dried tomatoes.
Young leaves are eaten in salad and are very popular in restaurant menus.
We use about 30kg of rocket every week in the Bridge house.
Next Week more Tapas dishes
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