Spanish Tapas: "Patas Bravas" Bold Potatoes

Patatas Bravas is a favorite tapas dish of me and my husband. We have ordered it many times at tapas restaurants and I have made it a few times at home. This is the best recipe I have found for it.

6 potatoes
oil for frying
3/4 cup tomato sauce
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
one clove of garlic, minced
one tablespoon vinegar
one teaspoon Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

For the sauce combine the tomato sauce, mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar, paprika, cumin and pepper in a small sauce pan. Slowly heat while you prepare the potatoes.

Parboil potaotes. Drain, peel and cut into cubes. Deep-fry or saute in hot olive oil until browned and crisp. Drain and serve immediately sprinkled with salt and drizzled liberally with the spicy sauce.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Spanish Tapas "Pollo al Ajillo"

This is an easy tapas dish: chicken sauteed with loads of garlic and then simmered in Sherry. Flavorful and juicy!

900g/2 lb chicken wings (or whole chicken cut into bite size pieces)
salt & pepper
1 head garlic (about 12 cloves)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
120 ml/4 fluid oz/ 1/2 cup dry or medium dry sherry
chopped parsley

Instructions
Cut off the wing tips and discard. Divide each wing into 2 joints. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Lightly smash the garlic cloves to split the skins, but do not peel them.

Heat the oil in deep frying pan. Add the chicken pieces and garlic to the oil and saute them very slowly. When the chicken is browned on all sides, add the bay leaf and Sherry. Continue cooking until the liquid is cooked away and the chicken begins to sizzle again. Serve hot garnished with chopped parsley.

Yield: Makes about 12 tapas.

Spanish Tapas: Chorizo and Cheese Tortilla

The Spanish tortilla is a very popular tapas dish in Spain. This version, with the addition of chorizo and cheese, is even better and can be eaten hot or cold.

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 oz thin sliced chorizo
1.5 lbs waxy potatoes, thinly sliced
2 Spanish onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 large eggs
2 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium sized non-stick frying pan and fry the sausage until golden brown and cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Add 2 tablespoons to the pan and fry the potatoes and onions for 2-3 minutes, turning frequently. Cover tightly and cook over a gentle heat for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally until softened and slightly golden.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, parsley, cheese, sausage and salt and pepper. Gently stir in the potatoes and onions until coated, taking care not to break up the potato too much.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the potato mixture and cook, over a very low heat, until the egg begins to set. Use a metal spatula to prevent the tortilla from sticking and allow the uncooked egg to run underneath.

Preheat the grill/broiler to high. When the base of the tortilla has set, which should take about 5 minutes, protect the pan handle with aluminum foil and place the tortilla under the grill until it is set and golden. Cut into wedges and serve garnished with parsley.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Spanish Tapas: "Pollo Con Limon Y Ajillo" Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Eating tapas (small bites) is my favorite thing about going to Spain. There are endless tapas recipes and this will the first of hopefully many tapas posts to come. This recipe is fast and very easy to make.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
salt and ground black pepper
fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish
lemons wedges, to serve

Instructions:

Slice the chicken meat into strips. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Stir-fry the chicken strips with the shallot, garlic and paprika over high heat for about three minutes until cooked through. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with lemon wedges, garnished with flat leaf parsley.

Serves: 2

Variation: Use strips of pork fillet with scallions instead of shallots and use the green scallion tops to replace the parsley.