Food: Tapas ala Tower
If you’re wondering about the title, I put that down because I wanted to write about lots of little recipes, but ones that aren’t totally authentic to their respective home regions. Also I live in Tower now, and it sounded neat. Tapas are little snacks or appetisers, with the term originating in Spain. While each of these dishes could be their own starter, you can easily eat all of them in one go to make it your own little buffet. With their origins on the Iberian peninsula, I thought it appropriate to start in España…
Patatas Bravas
Fried potato & chorizo, with Marie Rose sauceIngredients:
- Potatoes
- Flour
- Chorizo
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
Equipment:
- A large pan
- A small pan
- Spatula/tongs
- Potato peeler
- Chopping board
- Knifes
This is a really simple recipe, but one that is super delicious, and can look fancy as fuck if you plate it right. First you need to wash the potatoes, soak them for a bit and peel them. Then cut them into little pieces, about the size of your finger tip. Put all the chunks in a bowl, then put enough flour on the potatoes to provide an even coating on them. Pre-heat the oil on the large pan, then put all the potato pieces on the pan, frying them. Don’t forget to flip them with the spatula/tongs every once in a while. You’ll know when they’re cooked when they start to brown up a good bit. The chorizo only takes 3-5 minutes to cook, so don’t worry about putting them on too late. Also don’t be afraid if the chorizo looks a bit burnt, it’s still good. To make the Marie Rose sauce, put two parts mayo to every one part ketchup in a bowl. Sprinkle a bit of pepper on top of the sauces and mix them thoroughly.Salt the potato during/after cooking.
Bruschetta (if you don’t like fish or tomato)
Ciabatta avec pestoIngredients:
- Ciabatta (or a bread roll)
- Pesto
- Cheese (grated cheddar or mozzarella)
Equipment:
- Oven
Really really simple dish here. I know traditional recipes for bruschetta sometimes have you use some form of fish, or at least tomatoes, but I am not a fan of either, so I came up with an alternative. Preheat the oven to 200c, and bake the ciabatta in the oven (or heat it up a bit if you bought it from your local shop’s bakery). Cut it in half and spread some pesto over the ciabatta like you would jam on toast. Sprinkle cheese over the ciabatta and pop it in the oven again to melt the cheese. Delicious.
Falafel
Just falafel, tbh.Serving size: 14-20 pieces.Ingredients:
- Chickpeas (1 ½ cans)
- An onion
- Parsley (¼ cup)
- Garlic (Three cloves)
- Flour (1 ½ tablespoon)
- Salt (1 ¾ teaspoon)
- Cumin (2 teaspoons)
- Ground Coriander (1 teaspoon)
- Black pepper, cayenne pepper (¼ teaspoon each)
- Olive oil
- Pitta bread
Equipment:
- Food processor, or blender
- Tongs
- Frying pan
- Chopping board
- Mixing bowl
- Colander
Chop the onion and garlic to small pieces on the chopping board. Drain the chickpeas in the colander. Put the chickpeas, onion, garlic, flour and spices in the food processor/blender. Stop every once in a while to stir the mixture to make sure the chickpeas are blended properly. You’re aiming for what looks like oatmeal with the texture of soggy sand. Put the mixture in the mixing bowl, give it a quick slow stir and put the bowl in the fridge for an hour or two. You can do without this letting it sit in the fridge, but it works much better if you do.Preheat the oil on the pan. Form the mixture into balls with your hands, and put it on the pan. Flip and turn the balls with your tongs now and then, until the outside is cooked evenly. Falafel are traditionally deep-fried, so pan frying it makes cooking harder (but a good deal healthier). Cooking them all will take 15-20mins (approx). The falafel will be soft on the inside, but a bit crunchy on the outside. You can eat them on their own, with a sauce (may I recommend tzatziki?) or in a pitta bread. If you’re having them as part of tapas, maybe forgo the pitta. Have your own recipes, or reviewed a new cool restaurant? Send your articles in to Food@UCCExpress.ie.