González - Simple Cold Spanis Tapas An everyday guide to preparing cold Spanish Tapas at home

FOREWORD Welcome to our Simple Cooking Books! Weve created a series of books that take you through the great cuisines of the world with 21 recipes in each book, showing you step-by-step how to create fantastic food in your own home with mainly basic ingredients that you can buy in your local supermarket and without needing to be an expert in the kitchen. The recipes require no weighing or measuring and can all be cooked in 30 minutes or so or prepared in advance and simply re-heated. The tools and equipment you need are also absolutely minimal. This is because at SimpleLifeManagement.com we believe in keeping things as simple as possible. After all, why complicate life unnecessarily? We sincerely hope you enjoy your cooking journey with us and find our food tasty, simple and cheap to prepare. Kind regards to you and your family.

Samantha Smith Series Editor and Editor-in-Chief SimpleLifeManagement.com INTRODUCTION There are thousands of tapas out there. In fact, so many that it can become confusing when you want to serve some up for your friends and family. A tapa is a small serving of food. In Spain, there is also a larger version of tapas which are called raciones, but the principle is the same: servings of food which are meant to be shared and enjoyed. In this book, I have selected the most typical cold tapas that youll find in most tapas places and bars in Spain. Cold tapas which can be prepared ahead of time so theres no work in the kitchen when you want to enjoy yourself with the people youve invited over.

The great thing about tapas is that they dont all need to be served at the same time. In fact, if you order tapas in Spain they come along to the table as and when theyre ready. So if youre holding a party, you can bring out new tapas every so often and surprise people as you go along. We have another book which covers hot tapas so youll be able to mix and match cold and hot tapas simply by disappearing off to the kitchen for a few minutes from time to time to cook up something hot that youve prepared earlier. Enjoy! Mara Gonzlez

SALMOREJO

(COLD TOMATO SOUP) Salmorejo is like a thick gazpacho which is often served as a tapa, topped with jamn serrano (dried Spanish ham) and chopped hard boiled egg.

Ingredients: Ripe tomatoes, de-cored Stale bread, crusts removed Garlic cloves, peeled Olive oil Salt 1 hard boiled egg, shelled and chopped very finely Jamn serrano (cured Spanish ham or Italian prosciutto), very finely chopped Method:

1. Liquidise the tomatoes in the food processor
2. Add the bread and garlic cloves and continue to liquidise adding olive oil and some salt through the spout until everything is very smooth and thick.
3. Pour into small glasses and refrigerate for an hour or two.
4. Garnish with the chopped hard boiled egg and chopped jamn serrano with a teaspoon for people to eat it easily.

Tips: You can also serve this in Chinese soup spoons.

ENSALADILLA RUSA

(RUSSIAN SALAD) Quite frankly, I have no idea why this is called Russian salad nor whether they eat it in Russia. But its a staple cold tapa in Spain and its very easy to prepare in advance and keep in the fridge to bring out at the critical moment. Ingredients: Whole potatoes, unpeeled Carrots, peeled Frozen peas Mayonnaise Hard boiled eggs, shelled Green olives, de-stoned, chopped into halves or quarters Tuna in a can, drained Mayonnaise in a jar Salt Smoked red peppers from a jar (optional) Method:

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots in water until well cooked. Add the peas for the final few minutes.
   SALPICN DE MARISCO

   (SEAFOOD SALAD) Salpicn simply means a mixture and Marisco means seafood.

   SALPICN DE MARISCO

   (SEAFOOD SALAD) Salpicn simply means a mixture and Marisco means seafood.

   This is a great tapa to prepare and keep in the fridge waiting for you to bring it out. Ingredients: Squid (pulpo), cooked in a vacuum pack, chopped Frozen shrimps (gambas) Fresh or frozen mussels (mejillones) White onion, peeled and finely chopped Red and green pepper, chopped Olives, green or black, de-stoned and chopped Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar Olive oil Salt Method:

   1. Boil the shrimps and mussels for a few minutes in water until cooked.
   2. Chop everything and mix with vinegar and olive oil, adding salt to taste.
   3. Refrigerate and bring out at the critical moment.

   

   BOQUERONES EN VINAGRE

   (ANCHOVIES CURED IN VINEGAR) Boquerones are fresh anchovies cured in vinegar. And no, they taste nothing like the very salty anchovies you can buy in a jar in the supermarket. Ingredients: Fresh anchovies or in a can White wine vinegar Crushed garlic Olive oil Salt Fresh parsley, very finely chopped Method:

   1. Cover the anchovies in white wine vinegar and crushed garlic and put in the fridge for up to 12 hours.
   2. Partially drain the anchovies and add a dash of olive oil and salt to taste and put back in the fridge.
   3. Mix in some chopped parsley and serve very cold.

   

   BANDERILLAS

   (COCKTAIL STICKS) Banderillas are literally the long, decorated darts thrust into the bull in the early stages of bull fighting. But without going into that, this is an easy to prepare tapa that requires zero cooking and that you can make ahead of time.