Williams-Sonoma. - Williams-Somano Rustic Spanish: hearty, authentic recipes for everyday cooking

mixed tapas

In recent years tapas have taken off as a culinary genre in their own right, and the lazing, grazing Spanish lifestyle has caught the worlds imagination. Plan your own tapas feast, kicking off with this quartet of aperitif-hour classics: sauted almonds; marinated olives; piquant skewers called gildas; and fried padrn peppers.

FOR THE SAUTED ALMONDS

1 cup (5 oz/170 g) blanched whole Marcona almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Fine sea salt

FOR THE MARINATED OLIVES

teaspoon cumin seeds

1 orange

2 cups (10 oz/315 g) mixed black and green olives

1 clove garlic, cut lengthwise into 4 slices

2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

teaspoon pimentn dulce (sweet Spanish smoked pepper)

teaspoon red pepper flakes

cup (60 ml) olive oil

FOR THE GILDAS

8 green Basque pickled peppers (see Cooks Note)

8 cured anchovy fillets

816 large green olives, pitted

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

FOR THE FRIED PADRN PEPPERS

cup (125 ml) olive oil

1 lb (500 g) padrn peppers (see Cooks Note)

Flor de Sal or other flaky sea salt

serves 6

To make the sauted almonds, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spread the almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and just starting to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate and let cool for 10 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and saut, stirring constantly, until golden, 23 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts to paper towels to drain.

Put the almonds in a serving bowl. Add the thyme and season to taste with salt. Using a fork, toss well. (Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

To make the marinated olives, in a small, dry frying pan, toast the cumin seeds over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 23 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove 3 strips of zest from the orange, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) long. Cut each piece lengthwise into strips inch (6 mm) wide and add to the saucepan. Reserve the remaining zest and the orange for another use.

Add the olives, garlic, parsley, pimentn , red pepper flakes, and olive oil to the saucepan. Place over medium heat and toss to mix well. Heat until the oil starts to bubble around the edges of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, with the oil just bubbling occasionally, for 30 minutes, stirring now and then.

Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a serving bowl. Let cool to room temperature, then let stand for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop before serving. (Store the olives in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)

To make the gildas , bend a Basque pickled pepper at the middle and push it onto a toothpick or wooden skewer. Push the toothpick or skewer into one half of the anchovy fillet, then a green olive, followed by the other half of the anchovy to curl around the olive. Repeat the process until you have used up all the peppers, anchovies, and olives. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil.

To make the padrn peppers, in a wide frying pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the peppers and turn them rapidly in the oil until they are blistered all over, 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and pile onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, and serve hot.

COOKS NOTE: Basque pickled peppers are long, green, and pickled in vinegar. They can be found in Spanish groceries and specialty food shops. Padrn peppers are notorious for their unpredictable spiciness. Its said in Spain that one in every ten of these little green peppers is spicy, while the other nine are sweet and mild.

WINE SUGGESTION: A WELL-CHILLED, BONE-DRY, APPETIZING MANZANILLA SHERRY FROM SANLCAR DE BARRAMEDA

patatas bravas

If ever there were to be a straw poll of Spains most popular, as well as economical, dishes, patatas bravas would surely come in near the top. This super snack combines fried potato chunks with the piquant sauce that explains the epithet bravas (fierce, wild). Some versions add to the sauce for a smoother, richer consistency.

Olive oil for frying

2 lb (1 kg) new potatoes, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) chunks if needed

1 heaping tablespoon flour