We’ve all heard the speech:
“Is this your first time visiting Trendy New Restaurant? Let me tell you a little about how the menu works. All of our dishes are meant for sharing and I recommend 36-45 plates per guest.”
As much fun as it is to share with friends and family, not everything works that way. That beet hummus with sizzling chili oil seems less meant for sharing than for staining every surface within 20 feet. Fun sized works for candy bars, but not so much for that single red wine poached egg with house cured bacon they just brought to the next table.
I get it, I do. Small plates are a way of showing the breadth of a kitchen’s skill. They’re a path to offering a little something for everyone without looking like the 40 page spiral-bound magazine menu at the shopping mall’s ornately decorated palace of sweet-sweet-cheesiness. They’re too frequent, and not every cuisine is suited to the format.
Sometimes, though, sharing a little of everything can be fun. It wasn’t always an annoying default – and yeah, it’s obviously fallen out of fashion in the year of eating alone. This week’s menu features a bunch of the OG small plates form the cuisine that, while certainly not the originator of the concept, was almost certainly the form it was introduced to the U.S. – Spanish style Tapas.
This week’s dishes range in complexity from “no, really, just put these two delicious things on a plate together” to a few things that take a little effort to prepare and put together. As usual, I don’t claim these are authentic representations of the cuisine. The end result, the core idea, is that you’ll end up with a number of diverse plates that well, give you a little bit of everything.
A little something. For everyone.
Manchego and Membrillo
This is not a recipe. This is two lines of instructions that produces something that’s far better than the sum of its parts. The traditional pairing of Dulce de Membrillo – sweet quince paste – with salty, nutty Manchego is … well, there’s a reason it’s a traditional pairing. You can choose to seek out really great Manchego. If you have a good cheese shop, they can help you. The truth is, this plate is great even with what you can get at the grocery. I’ve had good luck finding both Manchego and Membrillo at most larger groceries, but if you can’t you can order them online.
Cut the Manchego into slices or cubes.
Top with similarly sized slices or cubes of quince paste. Enjoy together.
Chorizo with Vinaigrette
The Spanish style Chorizo used here is different than the (wonderfully) oily and crumbly Mexican and Central American sausage that shows up in breakfast burritos. It’s a dry cured sausage laden with paprika and garlic and it’s just amazing. Normally, you wouldn’t drench it with vinegar – in fact it’s probably a horrible heresy and something any good Spaniard would frown on, but I’ve adopted this preparation as a crutch for the fact that really great fermented Chorizo – the kind with a bit of acidic bite to counter the rich fattiness – can be a little hard to find. The vinaigrette described here gives even grocery store chorizo a balance. Plus, it’s great for dipping into with some crusty bread.
Simple Vinaigrette
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
¼ tsp black pepper
Add garlic and vinegar to a non-reactive bowl and allow to sit for five minutes to tame the harshness of the garlic.
Whisk the olive oil into vinegar and garlic, then add the black pepper.
Slice the chorizo on the bias (diagonally) and arrange on a plate.
Top with the vinaigrette.
Serve immediately.
Marinated Olives
This is another dish that serves a duel purpose. Marinated olives are good. The liquid they’ve been resting in, it’s great. I’m not recommending you spoon it out like a soup, but a few pieces of bread and you’ll be sopping it up like … well, you’ll be sopping it up. It’s delicious.
½ cup Castelvetrano, Manzanilla, or other crisp green olive
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp smoked pimento
½ tsp ground black pepper
Peel, trim, and mince the garlic.
Combine the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, pimento, lemon zest and black pepper.
Pour over the olives and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to a few days.
Patatas Bravas
This is hands down my favorite “traditional” tapas dish. I put the traditional in quotes because the only source I have for defining tradition here is a number of visits to a number of Tapas restaurants where basically I eat this and drink wine. That’s not actually a good measure of what’s traditional – unless you’re explaining my personal traditions. In this case, it’s become my personal tradition because they’re great. Yeah, they’re basically a Spanish version of fries with fry sauce. The saffron tomato sauce and aioli and the hot crunchy potatoes are transcendent. Also, they go really well with wine. A lot of wine.
Saffron Tomato Sauce
2 medium tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
4 strands saffron plus 1 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
Use a box grater to grate the tomatoes into a non-reactive bowl, discarding the skin.
Peel, trim, and mince the garlic.
Add the salt to the minced garlic, and using the flat side of a large knife, crush the garlic and salt into a paste.
Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic paste and smoked paprika to the pan.
Once the mixture begins to sizzle, add the grated tomatoes, and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken.
Add the saffron to 1 tbsp of boiling water and allow to infuse for 5 minutes, then add the saffron and water mixture to the sauce.
Simmer until reduced and thickened.
Lemon Garlic “Aioli”
3 tbsp mayonnaise (I prefer Dukes)
2 cloves garlic, microplaned
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Whisk the garlic, oil, and lemon into the mayonnaise.
Crispy Fried Potatoes
2 medium russet potatoes
¼ tsp baking soda
Oil for frying
Clean the peel the potatoes. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda.
Parboil the potatoes until almost tender.
Drain, and dry the potatoes with a towel.
Heat a fryer or thick bottomed pot with oil to 325°F.
Fry the potatoes until they are just beginning to brown, then remove and allow to cool completely.
To finish, fry a second time at 350°F until golden brown and crunchy.
Serve with saffron tomato sauce and garlic “aioli.”
Albondigas!
Meatballs! I don’t think I really need to say a lot more. I love meatballs. In fact, this is week one of at least two weeks of menus including meatballs (stay tuned, it will be fun) and who knows, maybe we’ll go for three. I’ve even got three different meatball recipes over at the Chicken Thigh Guy. Really. I love meatballs. These, of course, aren’t made with chicken (though I guess they could be… hmmm.) These simply seasoned meatballs are made with pork and almonds, which makes them nutty and very tender, and simmered in a rich, just slightly spicy, slightly sweet and sour sauce.
A note: I poach meatballs before “cooking” them. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it does a couple of things. First, it provides the opportunity to add even more flavor - if you’re using a flavorful poaching liquid. Secondly, and most importantly, it sets the shape - no more flat sided meatballs. Mostly, it’s an aesthetic thing, but the round meatballs also cook more evenly.
Meatballs
1 lb double ground pork
4 gloves garlic
1 egg
2 pieces stale white bread, crusts removed
¼ cup almond meal or ground almonds
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp nutmeg
4 cups of stock or water for poaching
Peel, trim, and microplane the garlic.
Beat the egg well, and add the egg and bread to the container of a food processor.
Pulse to break up the bread.
Add the pork, garlic, salt, paprika, almond meal, and nutmeg to the food processor and pulse until combined and a finely ground paste is formed.
Refrigerate for one hour.
Bring a pot of stock, or well salted water to a simmer.
Form the forcemeat – the pork mixture – into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls.
Gently poach the meatballs in the stock or water until set.
Repeat until the meat mixture is used.
To finish, brown the meatballs in a skillet, then simmer in the spiced tomato sauce for at least 30 minutes.
Tomato Sauce
1 14 oz can peeled diced tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp kosher salt
Peel, trim, and mince the garlic.
Using a blender, food processor, or stick blender, process the tomatoes to form a coarse puree.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and paprika to the oil.
Cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomato puree, sugar, vinegar, and lemon zest.
Bring to a simmer.
Cook until reduced by 1/3.
Taste for seasoning.
Add meatballs and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Top with sauce and garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
Gambas al Ajillo
This simple shrimp preparation yields delicious garlicy shrimp and the garlic oil that they’re cooked in is great for … you guessed it, dipping your bread. There’s a theme here, apparently.
9 medium peeled, deveined, tail-on shrimp
4 large cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flake
1 tsp kosher salt
Lemon and parsley for garnish
Finishing salt
Add the olive oil to a fry pan over high heat.
Season the shrimp with salt.
Just before the pan reaches smoking hot, add the shrimp, tossing well to cook.
As the shrimp turn pink, add the lemon, garlic, and pepper flake and toss in the pan.
Turn out on to a warmed plate, garnish, and serve immediately.
Fried Peppers
Like the Manchego and Membrillo above, this isn’t so much a recipe as it is a set of instructions. Heat some olive oil, toss in some mild crunchy peppers, cook them until they’re blistered and delicious, and add salt. They’re great for snacking on and are a fun, bright counterpoint to lots of rich bites. Padron peppers are sometimes difficult to find, but Japanese Shishitos are very similar and make a good substitute. Use a crunchy, large flake finishing salt such as Maldon for the best effect.
12 Padron or shishito peppers
Olive oil for frying
Crunchy finishing salt (Maldon or similar)
Fry the peppers in hot olive oil until blistered.
Sprinkle with crunchy salt.
Serve immediately.
Catalan Style White Beans
A lot of more traditional recipes for these beans call for several kinds of sausage. Those are great, because sausage, but the beans themselves are delicious and can be made vegetarian or nearly vegetarian. You can choose to use olive oil or bacon fat – the results will be different, but both are delicious.
1 cup dry white beans (Great Northern, Navy, etc)
½ cup finely diced fennel bulb
4 cloves garlic
1 medium tomato
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp red pepper flake
2 tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Soak the beans overnight.
Peel trim and mince the garlic.
Cut the tomato into chunks, discarding any firm green parts.
Add the bacon grease or olive oil to a thick bottomed pan over medium heat.
Add the fennel and cook until the fennel has become translucent – 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the pepper flake, garlic, and tomato and cook until the tomatoes have broken down – about 5 minutes.
Add the soaked beans, and stock and bring to a simmer.
Cook covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.
Season with salt and cook an additional ten minutes.
Pan con Tomate
Traditional Pan con Tomate can be as simple as grilled bread with a whole tomato scraped onto it – using the toast itself as the grater. I like something a little more involved, but still true to the idea. This recipe makes a very simple tomato and garlic confit that’s then spread onto grilled or toasted bread. It tops and soaks into the side it’s spread on, giving you something that’s a fun contrast of textures and flavors. It’s another favorite of mine and I’ve definitely sidled up to the bar in a downtown tapas place at happy hour and had nothing more than a couple pieces of Pan con Tomate and way too much wine.
4 pieces country style or olive oil bread
1 medium tomato
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
Using a box grater, grate the tomato and discard the skin.
Peel, trim, and mince the garlic.
Add the salt to the minced garlic, and using the flat side of a large knife, crush the garlic and salt into a paste.
Add olive oil to a pan over low heat.
Add the garlic paste and grated tomato to the pan.
Increase the heat to medium high and cook just most of the water has evaporated.
Remove the tomato mixture from the pan.
Grill or toast 4 slices of bread.
Spread one side generously with tomato mixture.
If desired, cut into smaller pieces and serve.
Croquetta de Jamón
This is the showoff dish. Crunchy fritters with a nearly liquid center of cheese, ham, and peas. I mean, really, this is fried sauce. The trick is in getting the bechamel nearly solid so that when it’s fried, it re-liquifies. The cheese helps with that. The end result, a crunchy ball that when you bite into it yields gooey delicious cheese ham sauce … that’s worth the effort.
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup finely diced ham
½ cup shredded white cheese (Manchego or sharp white cheddar)
¼ cup cooked fresh or frozen green peas
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp AP flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp sherry (opt)
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs
½ cup AP flour
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
Oil for frying
Peel, trim, and microplane or crush the garlic.
Warm the milk in a small pan or by heating in the microwave on high for 1:30 seconds. Add the bay leaf and allow to infuse off the heat for 10 minutes.
Add butter to a thick bottomed pan over medium heat.
As soon as the butter has melted and stopped foaming, add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the raw flour smell has disappeared.
Remove the bay leaf and add the warm milk and sherry to the butter and flour mixture.
Whisk while cooking to form a thick bechamel.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese, nutmeg, and crushed garlic.
Allow to cool and mix in the peas and diced ham.
Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Beat the eggs with 2 tbsps of water.
Set up a three-step breading station with flour, the beaten egg mixture, and the breadcrumbs in separate bowls.
Using a small scoop, melon baller, or spoon form the cold bechamel, ham, and pea mixture into a 1 inch ball.
Dip into flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs turning to coat completely.
Optionally, dip once more into the egg and back into the crumbs – a double crust it useful for containing the filling and adding crunch.
Either fry immediately or arrange on a sheet pan and freeze for 1-2 hours.
To finish, fry at 350°F until dark and crunchy.
Serve immediately.