Feast: Mom's Birthday Tapas Meal
COVID restrictions are over a year old, although for some there is light at the end of the tunnel. With my family all being vaccinated now, as well as some family friends, we have begun to see friends again. I have relished the opportunity to cook for people again. There is something so spiritually meaningful about breaking bread together and sitting and sharing a meal.
Because we have purposefully not had celebrations for the past year, I wanted to really do up my mother’s birthday even if it was only going to be a few people. My mom’s favorite type of meal is small plates. She loves trying a lot of different things. My father introduced her to Dim Sum and it is one of her favorite meals. For my parent’s anniversary last year, they went to Paso Robles and had dinner at a Tapas restaurant. My mom said it was her favorite meal ever. With that in mind, I came up with this meal.
My parents do not drink, but I made myself an Adonis which is equal parts sherry and sweet vermouth with a dash of orange bitters. A Spanish version of a Manhattan. Delicious with all of the tapas.
Tapas Dishes:
Croquetas de Pollo
One of my favorite tapas is croquetas. The crisp exterior that breaks into the creamy interior. For this croquetas, I poached chicken to ensure it was tender and juicy, then let the chicken cool in the poaching broth. Shredding it, I added the chicken to the béchamel dough and refrigerated it before breading and frying. Crunchy and soft at the same time.
Pan con Tomate
This, along with tortilla Española, are probably the two most famous tapas. In fact, I think no Spanish tapas meal is complete with it. The tradition is simply to rub garlic, and then rub a cut tomato on grilled bread. The only issue I have is that the bread can become pasty if let to sit. In my version, I grate the tomato on a box grater. Then I grate garlic on a micro plane and add in a little smoked paprika, dried oregano, really good salt, a splash of Sherry vinegar, and really good olive oil. I place in a bowl and then everyone can top their own toasted baguette with the tomato. Crisp, acidic, sweet, and pungent from the garlic.
Tortilla Espanola
The dish that sits on so many Spanish counters, perfect for a snack at any time of the day. My version begins with sliced potatoes on the mandolin before frying them in a mixture of olive and peanut oil. I also slice elephant garlic on the mandolin and fry it as well with sliced onion. Then, I layer the potato, garlic, and onion in layers, pouring beaten egg over it as it goes. Frying it in a pan, before finishing in the oven. This time served with a homemade lime aioli to add a critic bite to cut through the richness of the tortilla.
Grilled Octopus with Olive oil Poached Potatoes and Arugula
My favorite seafood might be octopus. After boiling it for an hour in a court bouillon, then shocking it, the octopus is tender. Then tossed in olive oil and grilled, I served it on a couple olive oil poached potato slices to add a richness to the clean octopus and then serve it with crisp arugula and sharp lemon.
Marinated Olives
Olives are wonderful bites, especially in between any rich tapas. To make these olives a homemade quality, I took green Cerginola olives as well as a Greek mixture of olives and added my own pickling liquid. Bringing a little olive oil up to heat, I added a cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and some orange rind. After they were aromatic, I added Sherry vinegar as well as sugar and salt. Finally finishing with water to dilute it, I poured that mixture over the olive and let sit for twelve hours. The olives had a wonderfully subtle spice note as well as the hint of herb and citrus.
Seared Scallops with Sautéed Mushrooms, Roasted Peppers, and a Sherry Reduction
While octopus might be my favorite seafood, scallops are my mothers. Seared hard and served on top of roasted bell pepper and mushroom. This is a great version of “surf and turf” with the earthiness of the mushroom against the ocean freshness of the scallop. I finished it with some micro kale.
White Gazpacho
I have to admit… I am not a big fan of traditional gazpacho. There is something slightly off to me with combining that many tomatoes and cucumbers since both contain so much water leading to a strangely muted taste. However, I love white gazpacho. It is the perfect sweet / sour / salty soup. Chilled and served on a hot day. It is so refreshing. Combine honey dew melon, green grapes, Marcona almonds, mint, bread, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and cucumber before blending into smooth perfection.
Grilled Artichoke
Sometimes simplicity is the best. Simply a grilled artichoke with lemon. Wonderful.
Paella with Chicken, Chorizo, and Shrimp
Paella can sometimes be severed with tapas, I didn’t want the Paella to become a main course. So, I did not make a large pan. The rice, crisp on the bottom, cooked with sofrito and good chicken stock, I finished it by topped it with shrimp.
Tomato Salad with Serrano Ham and Goat Cheese
A wonderfully simple salad. The first of the heirloom tomatoes were in at Whole foods. So, I cut a tomato, placed it on top of arugula, added Seranno ham, crumbled goat cheese, and finished with a sherry vinaigrette. Sweet from the honey in the vinaigrette and the tomatoes, sour from the tomatoes and the vinegar, salty from the Serrano ham, creamy from the goat cheese, crisp from the arugula. Every sensation in one bite.
Mussels and Clams in Saffron Chorizo Broth
Nothing is better than clam and mussel broth. This particular broth is aided by sautéing shallot, chorizo, and garlic before adding white wine and saffron. The clams and mussels are then steamed open in the broth and served. My favorite way to eat is to use the shell as a spoon, scooping up some broth and then downing it with the clam or mussel in one bite.
Basque Pork Skewers
The one sort of spicy dish. My mom doesn’t handle spice well, but I added some crushed red pepper to the smoke paprika, fresh garlic, oregano, coriander, and cumin marinade before grilling the pork to a medium well done temperature. Juicy and slightly spicy. Added one pure meat element to a diverse menu.
30-day Dry Aged Ribeye with Roasted Shishito Peppers and Charred Onions with a Red Wine Reduction
A very simple steak, cooked well. Rubbed the steak with Spanish Paprika and salt. Cooked alla plancha to get that great crust. The steak was topped with roasted shishito peppers (I couldn’t find any Padron peppers) and charred pearl onions. Finished with a red wine sauce. This was the richest of the dishes, but there were so many others to help cleanse your palate so you could go back for more.
Desert Tapas - Vanilla Panna Cotta with a Raspberry Balsamic Sauce and Raspberry Macaron
No meal is complete without desert! This time I decided to carry the tapas idea into desert. My mom is not a fan of flan which of course would be the classic finish to a tapas meal. I decided to do a vanilla panna cotta (an eggless custard). It has a wonderful smooth velvety texture and the intense flavor of the best vanilla ice cream. One of my mom’s favorite fruits is raspberry so I paired it with a raspberry balsamic sauce to add a sweet and sour note to the dish. Finished it with curls of dark chocolate (my mom’s favorite) and served it with a raspberry Macaron.
