Tapas for two: a taste of Spain at home

I'm a Food Network junkie. I admit it. I love those shows - some of them at least. My new favorite is Chef Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. I first became familiar with Burrell in her role a sous chef to Mario Batali on Iron Chef America. On Secrets, she makes a wide range of restaurant dishes at home. Her energy is great and the flavors are phenomenal - and things anyone can try at home. I caught an episode on tapas a few weeks ago and as I watched, I knew I had to make this meal.


My husband and I went to Spain last year and more recently to Mario Batali's Casa Mono (twice). So we have tapas-fever. As I watched Chef Burrell make Eggs Flamenco, Catalan Toasts and Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, I was whisked away to Barcelona. The ingredients and recipes are easy and the flavors big and bold. I've put the recipe for the eggs below as well as the method for the bread, and you can find the recipe for the shrimp on the FN website. (note, I added some smoked hot paprika to mine for added flavor and color).

Last Saturday, I decided to turn our home into Spain. As Jeff worked in the yard, I turned the kitchen into tapas-central. To make this meal, start the sauce for the eggs first. As it simmers, prep the shrimp and set the table. Then, while the eggs are in the oven, grill the bread and cook the shrimp. Perfect-o!

And who heard of Tapas without Spanish wine??? We had some 2006 Quiteria Loma Gorda - this is a Spanish Granache Syrah that we got a the Wine Library and I've bought it repeatedly. (At $11.98 a bottle, why not??) Or try your favorite Rioja or a glass of cool sangria!




Eggs Flamenco
Recipes from Chef Anne Burrell, on Foodnetwork.com

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• Kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) diced Spanish chorizo
• 1 teaspoon pimenton
• 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juice or passed through a food mill
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup finely grated aged manchego
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions
Special Equipment: 4 (6-inch wide) flat ovenproof dishes such as terra cotta cazuelas

Coat a saucepan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium heat. Season the onions with salt and sweat for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are soft and very aromatic. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the chorizo and pimenton and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Oil the cazuelas. Fill each dish about halfway with the tomato sauce. Break 2 eggs into each dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place the cazuelas into the preheated oven and bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 8 minutes.
When the eggs are done, sprinkle with chives and serve.

Catalan Toasts

• 1 ripe tomato
• 6 thick, bias cut, slices baguette
• 2 garlic cloves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
• Kosher salt
• 6 slices serrano ham (you can sub prosciutto if you can't get Serrano).

Directions
Preheat the grill to medium.
Cut the tomato in half and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater. Reserve the tomato pulp.
Grill the bread slices on both sides until they are slightly charred. When the bread comes off the grill rub each slice with a garlic clove and drizzle generously with olive oil. Top each toast with tomato pulp and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Cover tomato with a slice of ham and serve.

Calcots: Scallions attain perfection

When we were in Barcelona last Spring we were lucky enough to be there at just the right time to try Calcots - grilled spring onions with Romesco. I had nearly forgotten how good they tasted until last week when Jeff and I had lunch at Casa Mono - the Mario Batali-owned tapas restaurant near Union Square. At Casa Mono, they used simple scallions served with Romesco. Two things are for sure: 1) scallions taste amazing grilled and 2) Mario Batali can do no wrong. If you ever get the chance, try this restaurant. Adorable and the food is fantastic. But back to the scallions...

We enjoyed them so much I was determined to make them at home. I flipped thru numerous cookbooks and found several recipes for Romesco. The Barbecue Bible even had one for grilled spring onions with Romesco. I followed Steven Raichlen's method for grilling the scallions, but for the Romesco, I turned to another of our favorites: Neil Perry. I made a few modifications, so here's my version. (Oh, by the way, this makes a lot of sauce so either make it for a crowd, have it a few times, or cut the recipe down...)

Grilled Scallions with Romesco

• Scallions (figure one good sized bunch per person. they cook down quite a bit)
• A little olive oil
• Sea salt or kosher salt

For the Romesco:

• 6 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil, divided
• 1/2 of a fresh red chili (about 4 inches in length) or use a few small ones, split and seeds removed
• 4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 1 slice Italian style bread, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar
• sea slat and freshly ground pepper

To peel the tomatoes, cut a cross in the flat end of each and cut out the woody core. Dunk them for 10 seconds in boiling water and then immerse in an ice bath. This makes the skins peel easily. Then cut them open and remove the seeds.

You can use prepared orasted red peppers or make your own. I make them by sticking a pepper on a skewer and setting them over the flame of my gas stove and turning it until the skin is black all over. Use the same method on a grill. Once the skin is black, drop them into a brown paper bag and roll the top down. Allow to steam until cooled, them wipe away the black skin and discard the stem and seeds.

To make the sauce, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chilli, garlic, bread and almonds and cook until the bread and almonds are golden. Cool slightly then procees the mixture in a food processor with the red pepper and tomatoes. I pulsed it a few times to keep the sauce a little chunky. Wth the motor running, drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Stir in the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

To make the scallions, trim the end of the scallions slightly. Brush them all over with a little olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Grill, turning them often until they have just a few grill marks. You want a little char but not a lot! And these little guys can burn quick so watch them carefully!

Remove them from the grill and wrap them in a triple layer of paper towels. Let them steam for about 8-10 minutes in the paper towels. (I stuck them in a warm oven to keep them from cooling). To serve, discard the paper towels and serve them on a platter with the Romesco on the side. The Romesco should be served room temperature.