thepassionatecook

Roast skate wing on beluga lentils with chorizo, green beans and potatoes

I recently reconnected with an old friend I have not seen in almost twenty years (oh, the wonderful world of facebook) and as a busy working Mum, she asked for recipes that she can "prepare in about half an hour using just one pan". That's exactly the kind of cooking I am forced to do most of the time now, being a full-time student and mother of three... but being pressed for time also means that I can't stop to photograph, so there aren't many recipes I publish. I have trawled through the list of dishes made over the years and found quite a few that fit the bill in at least one of the two categories and I will label them accordingly very soon - look out for a drop-down box on the sidebar entitled "quick fixes" or something along those lines!

This is a wonderfully rustic dish - this is only the second time I ever made skate and I don't know why I don't cook it more... it's one of those fish that are no hassle whatsoever to prepare, nor is it fiddly to eat. You simply roast it in the oven, then literally scrape the meat off the rather peculiar-looking, long and thick bones - no choking on little bones, you're left with just a pile of juicy meat that goes brilliantly with the farm-house style lentils and beans. 

Of course, this dish doesn't fit either of the above categories, but it's still worth mentioning - it uses a frying pan and a casserole and it will take about 45 minutes, 30 of which you're free to do whatever you have to: bathe the kids and get them ready for bed, clean out the hen house or just put your feet up with a glass of wine in hand... of course, I couldn't do either of those (I don't have a hen house, for starters), as I had to write down the recipe and get everything set up to take a picture, oh well (I made up for it after ;-))

Carrot & apple cake with cream cheese & lime frosting

This wonderful cake has been making the rounds here in London - I have been bringing it to every festivity imaginable from baby showers to cake sales and birthday parties... and people keep asking for the recipe, so here it is, the wait is finally over.

Carrot cake is a big thing here in the UK. It's sold in every cafe, every corner store, every petrol station, every sandwich shop... it's probably the most common sweet fix your average Londoner enjoys. Possibly because you might be cajoled into thinking that it's healthy - although the reality is that by the time you've cut through the thick, hard icing that's on top of your run-with-the-mill variety, you've consumed a week's worth of your RDA of sugar. But if you thought that practice makes perfect, you'd be surprised how many carrot cakes sold out there are actually almost inedible (in my humble view) - it's really hard to find a good one and after many disappointing buys, I have simply stopped trying.

In Austria, carrot cake is almost unknown, although I distinctly remember my Mum making one every once in a whilewhen I was growing up (her version involves lots of almonds and she decorates it with chocolate glaze)... but most people shudder at the mere thought of putting vegetables into their cake. It was only because we had so many apples left in the spare fridge from our autumn harvest and I clearly will soon be needing some space for chocolate santas and reindeers and for hiding Christmas presents, and I was bored of apple cakes and tarte tatins that I decided to re-invent the carrot cake. Or at least I think I've re-invented it by lacking any kind of direction of what you actually put in a typical carrot cake... as I said, I am not an expert.

So my carrot cake happens to combine carrots with apples, contains no nuts (as I was making the first one for a cake sale and there's a very strict no-nuts policy at that school) and the icing on the cake is actually not icing, but a cream-cheese and lime frosting. I can't stress how wonderfully moist this cake is, if you're a carrot cake novice, there's no way you can screw this recipe up, so you're safe here. Go on, give it a try. Although it might not fit into a weight-loss programme, it's probably healthier than many cakes out there... and you won't taste the carrots - I promise!

Aromatic chickpea soup with sumac, cumin & turmeric

Have I ever experienced love at first sight? That lightning-bolt experience that's the key ingredient to so many movies? Yes, I have, but it certainly wasn't with chickpeas.We've had several encounters, in many incarnations - and whenever it DID turn into a romance, it was a whirlwind, no holding back-type thing.

Chickpeas don't feature in the latitudes I grew up in, at least not in the 70s, 80s. I guess the very first time I came across them must have been in France, playing a supporting role in a vegetarian tagine. Although I liked the dish, I wouldn't have awarded them legumes an oscar.

It was when I moved to London that I once again broadened my culinary horizons and discovered Middle Eastern and North African food. Hummus was my first love - especially a certain tub they used to do at M&S with spicy red peppers... head over heels! Nowadays, I am addicted to Sainsbury's Morroccan hummus... again, a spicy version with whole chickpeas and red peppers - absolutely divine. I have yet to experience the same feelings for a tub of home-made, if you have any great recipes, do send them my way - I am always happy to learn new tricks.

Last week, fellow blogger Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen posted a recipe for chickpea soup - I read it on a rainy day, sitting in my unheated house with my toes turning blue from the creeping cold... and I just couldn't resist making this soup. As usual, I have completely bastardised it - I used canned chickpeas (so much quicker), I went wild on the spices (cumin, turmeric, sumac all in tbsp amounts) and I decided to make it in my Thermomix, as I feel slightly guilty for not posting enough recipes with TX instructions.

So there you have it, inspired by Kalyn: the possibly most satisfying soup I have made in a very long time. To make sure you also fall in love with it,

- use good quality sumac: the first time I came across it was at a workshop with Herbie's Spices from Australia... while I love their products for the exotic tastes they made me discover (wattle seed, bush tomato, lemon myrtle), I have since found that purchased from Arabic shops, the sumac is much more intense, pungent and refreshingly lemony than anything I have had before. The one I currently use (extensively) is from Mymouné which I picked up at Comptoir Libanais. Believe me, it's out of this world.

- don't overcook your chickpeas: they really taste so much better when the soup has a somewhat "coarse" consistency - a bit of bite, really.

- don't skimp on the extra-virgin olive oil: again, use the best quality you can find, its grassy notes add an extra complexity you wouldn't want to miss!

- accept the spices with open arms: not only do they taste great, they have health benefits noone can do without. Sumac is a free-radical scavenger and widely used for urinary complaints, cumin strengthens your respiratory and digestive system and turmeric is the number one herbal remedy to keep your cholesterol levels in check.

A tasty, warming soup that is also good for you... and if that wasn't enough, it's also ready in a good 20 minutes - what more could you possibly ask for???

Although this recipe is, in fact, borrowed at least in principle (see above), it'll be my contribution to this month's My Legume Love Affair, and before you ask, this has been authorised by the generous Jeanne of Cook Sister! who hosts this edition. If you want to participate, you can do so until the end of the month, details here.

Cape Town: Culinary City Snapshot

My good friend Jeanne of Cook Sister! has kindly agreed to continue the series of gourmet city guides or Culinary City Snapshots (see side bar) on this blog... her insider tips and recommendations for this wonderfully vibrant city will be a must for anyone who travels there!

What's your country's cuisine in a nutshell?
We have a real Rainbow cuisine because of our eventful history! Obviously, there is the indigenous cuisine which tends to be rib-sticking wholesome food using local ingredients like wild spinach (marogo) and maize meal. Then there is the influence of the Dutch settlers who brought their cuisine with them in the 1600s. The other thing that the Dutch brought were Indonesian slaves and they had a huge impact on the early cuisine at the Cape. Gently spiced Indonesian dishes can easily be seen as the roots of favourites such as bobotie and sosaties. There is definitely also a frontiersman food tradition created when settlers started travelling into the country’s interior in ox wagons – this is where we get our love for cooking things over open fires like potjiekos, and preserving fruit and meat by drying. The English settlers also left their mark with traditional roasts and desserts like blancmange. And the Indians who were brought to work on the sugar cane fields in Natal have left an indelible mark with their curries. So we really are a foodie melting pot!  But in a nutshell I’d say that our cuisine is driven by our unique local ingredients.    

What's the current food trend?
Locally sourced ingredients have hit SA in a big way – it’s no longer seen as cool to serve imported berries in the dead of winter, but rather something local and seasonal. Artisanal products are also on the rise, with a welcome surge in the number of artisanal bakeries and cheese makers, even in smaller towns. Sushi still reigns supreme as the acid test for any Cape Town seafood restaurant. Grazing menus consisting of multiple small dishes have recently made their appearance.

What local food is not to be missed?
Fresh seafood is a must in Cape Town – crayfish, snoek, local oysters – you name it. If you are a carnivore, biltong (air-dried spiced beef) is another one, as is ostrich steak. The unique Cape Malay cuisine of the Bo-Kaap is a gently-spiced treat – make sure you try bobotie, pickled fish and denningvleis. And nobody should leave South Africa without trying a koeksuster (a plaited, deep-fried pastry dipped in syrup).

Which local food might I want to steer clear of no matter how much locals insist?
If somebody offers you a “smiley” and you are of a sensitive disposition, just say no. It’s a whole sheep’s head boiled and then barbecued till the lips pull back and reveal the teeth – hence the name. Also, the harvesting of abalone (known locally as perlemoen) has been completely banned as a result of rampant poaching – so if somebody offers you some, just say no!

What are the food oddities in your country?
Well, that depends on your definition of odd!  Some people might find it odd to cut beef fillets into long strips, brine them, salt them and then hang them in a hot dry place for a while before gnawing on them!  We, on the other hand, call it biltong. I would personally class the eating of mopane worms as being a little odd. Oh, and we add apricot jam or a packet of brown onion soup powder to almost every conceivable recipe!

What to bring home from my trip?
If there weren’t so many damn restrictions on carrying meat across borders, I would definitely say biltong (spiced, air-dried beef) or droewors (dry, spiced sausage) as they will last the longest so you can make your memories go far. But they can also lead to a hefty fine if customs officials find them in your luggage (the sniffer dogs of the US Customs are particularly fond of them, I hear!). Products that are unique to South Africa and less likely to excite Customs include our excellent fruit leathers, tins of granadilla (passionfruit) pulp, some spicy atchar and Mrs Ball’s chutney, cape Malay curry spice mixes, melon & ginger preserve, green figs in syrup, tinned waterblommetjies, Peppermint Crisp chocolates (for their crazy, Kryptonite-coloured filling and super-minty taste) or rooibos chai tea.  For your inner gourmet, you could also get some of our excellent local olive oil (like Morgenster), wine vinegar, verjuice (South Africa is one of the few countries that make it), or the Cape Herb & Spice Company’s excellent range of flavoured fleur de sel (wasabi is my favourite).

Which cuisine features most strongly in your city?
Cape Town’s most unique cuisine is definitely Cape Malay cuisine. This sweetly spiced style of cooking originated from the predominantly Malaysian and Indonesian slaves brought to the country by the Dutch East India Company in the 1600s. The cuisine features complex spiced dishes like bobotie, denningvleis and sosaties and often includes fruit in meat dishes. The place to go for this is definitely the Bokaap, where you can eat like a local at Biesmiellah. Another emerging cuisine is a sort of Afro-fusion, using unique local ingredients to give a twist to classic European dishes

Which are your favourite gourmet addresses?
Neighbourhoods Market (Cape town’s original gourmet market, featuring over 100 specialty traders, fine-food purveyors, organic merchants, artisan goods, gourmet products, local farmers, seasonal items, plants & herbs, fresh produce, boutique wine estates, micro-breweries)

Giovanni’s Deliworld (a proper Italian deli in the heart of Green Point selling everything from oils, spice blends and Parma ham to ready-made dinners including fresh pasta, trays of seared carpaccio with olive oil and Parmesan shavings, or melanzane romeo (fried aubergine slices with pecorino and parsley).

Atlas Trading Company  (Bokaap spice traders that have been in business for half a century and will sell you anything from fresh turmeric to specially mixed masalas.  Plus the spices will fragrance your clothes for hours after you’ve left the store!)

Melissa’s (various shops throughout Cape Town selling beautifully packaged hand-made foods and prepared meals free from preservatives and artificial colourings)

What's your city's attitude to food in general?
Capetonians see eating out as their birthright, and it shows in the number and variety of excellent restaurants available. Sitting at a pavement table in summer with a plate and a glass of something, watching the world go by is a favourite pastime. With the influx of tourists into the city, the standard of food is generally very high and many of the country’s top fine dining restaurants (like Aubergine and La Colombe) are in Cape Town.

Which area is best for food – where to browse for restaurants while on the go?
The easy option would be the V&A Waterfront – it’s a huge development in the middle of Cape Town’s working harbour where you can stroll and check out the menus of dozens of restaurants before making your choice. These could range from cheap & cheerful fish and chip joints like Quay Four, to the German beerhall at Paulaner, to excellent seafood at Baia, to Afro-fusion at Emily’s, to fine dining at oneWaterfront.  Other areas that features a quirky mix of restaurants are Oranjezicht, or the CBD, particularly around Church/Kerk, Long and Keerom streets.

What's the biggest flop and best avoided?
Generally, I’d say to steer clear of downmarket chains like McDonalds or generic hotel restaurants which will largely serve modern European cuisine. Live a little! Try and search out independent restaurants serving local cuisine (like the excellent Biesmillah), or doing interesting things with local ingredients, like ostrich in green Thai curry sauce, springbok carpaccio or fynbos bavarois.

What are the big names in the restaurant scene?
Outside Cape Town itself in the winelands, Le Quartier Francais, La Colombe and Reuben’s are all consistently in the top 10 restaurants in the country. In the city, Aubergine, Jardine, 5 Flies, Ginja and the Savoy Cabbage all have an excellent name. The latest hot openings (as of April 2009) include Carne, Nobu and Gordon’ Ramsay’s Maze.  For a sumptuous high tea, there is only one place:  the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel.

What are the most reliable restaurant guides for your area?
The Eat Out restaurant guide is bulky but provides an excellent and comprehensive review of the country’s restaurants (they also have a website). Many restaurants in the winelands are comprehensively reviewed in John Platter’s South African Wine Guide. There are also plenty of reliable online resources like restaurants and dining out.

What to be aware of when dining out?
There are very few places where anything more than smart casual would be required – a collared shirt is probably as formal as you’d need. Reservations are advised, particularly over weekends or high season (late November to Easter). Tipping is expected, and 10% is a good starting point. Although pickpocketing or bag snatching in restaurants is not rife, when dining out at night be sure to park in well-lit areas or get a taxi to drop you off and pick you up at the door, particularly if you are a tourist and unfamiliar with the area.

Addresses of places mentioned: 

Neighbourhoods Market
The Old Biscuit Mill
373-375 Albert Road
Woodstock, Cape Town
Tel. 084 414 4554

Melissa’s
Various stores – see website for addresses

Giovanni’s Deliworld
103 Main Road
Green Point, Cape Town
Tel: 021 434 6893

Atlas Trading Company
94 Wale Street
Cape Town
Tel: 021 423 4361

Aubergine
39 Barnet Street
Gardens, Cape Town
Tel.  021 465 4909

Jardine
185 Bree Street (cnr of Bloem)
Cape Town
Tel. 021 424 5640

La Colombe
Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate
Constantia, Cape Town
Tel. 021 794 2390

Quay Four
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 419 2008

Paulaner Braeuhaus & Restaurant
Shop 18/19, Clock Tower Precinct
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 418 9999

Baia
6262 Victoria Wharf
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 421 0935 / 36 / 37

Emily’s
Suite 202, The Clock Tower
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 421 1133

Biesmiellah
Icon House
Lower Loop Street, Foreshore
Cape Town
Tel. 021 423 0850

The Tasting Room @ Le Quartier Francais
16 Huguenot Road
Franschhoek
Tel. 021 876 2151

Reuben’s
19 Huguenot Road
Franschoek
Tel. 021 876 3772

5 Flies
14-16 Keerom Street
Cape Town
Tel. 021 424 4442

Ginja & Shoga
121 Castle Street
Bo-Kaap
Cape Town
Tel. 021 426 2369

Savoy Cabbage
101 Hout Street
Cape Town
Tel. 021 424 2626

Carne
70 Keerom Street
Cape Town
Tel. 021 424 3460

Maze
One&Only Resort, Dock Road
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 431 5222

Nobu
One&Only Resort, Dock Road
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Tel. 021 431 5111

Mount Nelson
76 Orange Street
Cape Town
Tel. 021 483 1948

 

Courgette soup with watercress & crispy chorizo

There are obvious disadvantages to living in a climate where you have pronounced seasons such as we do: you don't get much sun throughout the year and you can't grow vegetables all year round. For most people this means that it's perfectly possible to live a healthy life throughout the warmer months when there's cheap vegetables and fruit in abundance, but in the colder months, fresh produce is neither cheap, nor has it much nutritional value as it has either been stored for months on end or picked way before its prime to be shipped to the other side of the globe.

So for half of the year, I am craving freshly picked courgettes and beans and apples and then all of a sudden, on a fine day in summer, I will be inundated with vegetables from my own (tiny) plantation at the back of my kitchen and well-meaning friends who decide to share their bounty with someone who actually shows a fair chance of using it. But even a six-people household struggles to get through 50 kg of apples from their own trees, a massive bag of runner beans, 6 enormous aubergines and 5 kilos of zucchini dumped by a cleaner whose friend was helping out with the harvest on a local farm!

To make matters worse, courgettes are not something that I use a lot in large quantities - I'll add some here and there, for example to vegetable skewers for a summer BBQ or as part of my famous vegetable lasagne... but FIVE kilos? What to do with them? Since I wanted to use them relatively quickly as they were occuppying a rather large part of my big American-sized fridge in the garage which at the moment is entirely dedicated to the rather large harvest from my apple trees, I decided to make soup - always a good strategy, no matter what the vegetable. A braai at the Cook Sister's house for which I was asked to contribute a starter was the perfect occasion... Jeanne didn't really jump for joy as I presented the idea over the phone (partly, I think, because she hadn't seen or chose to ignore, the weather report), but I think in the end everybody loved the soup. The watercress adds a nice little zing to it and the broad beans make the soup very creamy despite being completely lactose-free, always a bonus in my book. And the chorizo, what can I say - crispy cubes of spicy chorizo can transform any dish into something special, don't you think?

This post is dedicated to the Grow Your Own event created by the lovely Andrea Meyers and hosted this month by Mowgli Chic. It's the type of event I always read about and think, God, did I just miss that again?? Not this month, no!

"Things are picking up"- foie gras with fig & peach compote

If you thought foie gras was unusual to stockpile for the event of an emergency, financial or otherwise, may I remind you firstly that I am thepassionatecook and secondly that you'll get a can of tomatoes or a few wrinkly potatoes somehow from somewhere, but even if you resort to supermarket raids or robbing your neighbours of their much-coveted food possessions, you'll be hard-pressed to find any luxury food items there (unless you live round the corner from Fortnum & Mason, of course). So I say: rely on humanitarian aid for the basics and have a little something for the days when the rain turns into a thunder storm and you need something to lift your mood and transport you back to those happier days of your life.

Since we're being told left, right and centre that apparently, there's light at the end of the tunnel and we might be seeing a swift economic recovery soon, I have decided to part with one humble glass of preserve stashed away for a rainy day. I didn't have much choice in the matter, by the way, it was one of those nights when you are hard-pressed to find anything meaningful for your dinner in the fridge (I dare you to make something from a shrivelled aubergine, a half-empty glass of fake caviar, a jar of nutella and a bunch of petits filous) and can't be bothered to venture out into the pouring rain... and seeing that I bought this in a kilner jar rather than a tin, and it was approaching its best-by date rapidly, I didn't think twice.

So there you have it, that's my excuse. Not that I think I need one, there a million reasons why one should indulge and be merry every once in a while. With a bottle of sticky given to my other half as a present, this made a wonderfully decadent dinner last week, the seasonal compote of figs and peaches at their prime, a frivolous amount of crushed garlic, a glug of balsamico and some freshly picked rosemary from the garden, this was probably the best version of foie gras I have ever made. If I say so myself. And for the half hour that it lasted, I was laughing in the face of the credit crunch or whatever you choose to call it.

Creamy birthday cheesecake with mixed berries

When you will finally reach my age, you suddenly realise that there's worse than celebrating getting a year older every year. Thing is, if you're wicked enough, you'll probably be (like me) celebrating your 27th for the, errm, 11th time running, anyway.

No, it's far worse to be celebrating your CHILDREN's birthdays year in, year out. The reasons are manyfold. There is, of course, the fact that you're being reminded about just how old you REALLY are (this year, for example, people surrounding me started to doubt my age, you could literally see them count in their heads... "but if her daughter is turning 17 and she is 27, then... no, that's impossible!"), then there's the thing about celebrating (in my case) four times a year, so that feels like you're growing 4 years older every year. Not good! Sooo not good!

Plus there comes a point when you just won't put up with the fact that THEY are the ones getting all the presents when it's YOU, and ONLY you, who did all the hard work on the day being celebrated. No, seriously, how hard can it be to BE BORN, as opposed to BEING IN active LABOUR for 36 hours, not having slept in 52 and not having had a shower in bloody too long for anyone's liking???

So I say, bring on the indulgence. With everything you do to make their birthday special, make it YOUR special day, too. Make YOUR favourite breakfast. Choose YOUR favourite cake. Luckily for me, her tastes in cake coincide with mine most of the time (well, it's simple, really, there are no mushrooms in cake, no fish, no soggy bacon, no peppers, no beef, no...  I could go on 'til the cows come home), so nobody found out about my outrageous and egoistical plan of spoiling myself rotten on HER birthday...

You will love this cheesecake, it's seriously the creamiest and therefore most indulging I've ever eaten, yet the ingredients are fairly healthy - ricotta, philly and only a little bit of single cream... ok, it's not a spelt cracker with barley grass, but it's a cake after all. The seasonal berries (full to the brim with antioxidants) were the literal icing on the cake and so much better at it... and the candles, you ask? Well, they're kind of hard to fit on a sea of berries, so we had a birthday banana instead ;-) 

Baked zucchini slices with tomato, scamorza & a rosemary-quinoa crust

Friends are a wonderful thing... especially when they come bearing gifts. My friend Anna is special in very many ways, apart from being a wonderfully caring, supportive and active mother-of-two, she has also founded an amazing support group for parents who want to make sure their kids grow up in the healthiest way possible. This group has become a veritable treasure chest for information and although people mostly know each other only virtually, it has quickly become the one-stop shop in all things children - your child is ill and you look for natural ways of supporting them, you ask your Arnica friends. A doctor is recommending a certain treatment and you want a second opinion, you consult with one of the many doctors, nurses and complementary therapists that are part of the network. You're stuck for ideas of how to keep a 2-year-old occupied on a 20-hour flight, Arnica has the answer.

Another reason to be good friends with Anna is that she has her own allotment - nestled among residential homes at the edges of Richmond Park, she grows as much of her vegetables as possible on that little patch of land she rents from the council. And what a joy it is to have her come round with the fruits of her labour! The other day, when she dropped off her children at mine (during the holidays, we try and take turns in looking after our little ones so that one of us can have a bit of precious me-time... a little breathing space and a much-needed step towards preventing ourselves from going insane, really, instead of parking the kids in front of a TV all day), she came in carrying a zucchino. And not just any, it was the most humungous squash I have ever seen in my life, just shy of a meter in length, almost half a meter at its widest and weighing too much to even register on my kitchen scales...

My first thought was what a wonderful weapon it would make... don't laugh, I bet you have been in a situation where you could positively have killed a given member of your household - and don't you try and make me believe otherwise! Luckily, my husband (despite the fact that he's on leave this week and the opportunities presenting themselves should be plentifold) has been on his absolute best behaviour, so I've decided to use the ginormous zucchino for cooking instead. I chopped some into our weekly Asian soup fix, I made a wonderful cream of courgettes for lunch and last night, I made these lovely little numbers here: a slice of courgette, some thick and onctuous tomato sauce with just the tinest kick of spice, a generous layer of scamorza (smoked mozzarella) and a crispy topping of quinoa laced with garlic oil and rosemary... the best dish yet.

I've still got about half a meter left and am wondering what else I could be making: zucchini chutney? Zucchini muffins? Zucchini burgers? Or maybe I'll just keep this last bit, just in case I need to use it against any intruders, ill-behaved children or a dis-obedient husband...

Fennel, apple & parma salad

My husband is sojourning in New York at the moment (however much he insists that he is there to work, I am still jealous - gone are the days when spouses, children and pets would be invited to travel with them to sweeten up their secondment to any given destination) and I find myself struggling to work up an appetite. This is not dissimilar to when I was studying for my A-levels (or equivalent) and lived on my own in my parents' farmhouse dating back to 1769 where the next shop was a 5 km walk uphill and there was only a wood-fired oven which I found incredibly hard to operate. After about 2 months of self-induced solitary confinement ended up weighing in at just 45kg... not that there's any danger of that right now (three kids later), but eating alone just isn't much fun, I find - I bet you agree.

But eat, I do. More often than not, it'll be a salad of sorts, with anything I can find in my slowly emptying fridge. Today, it spat out some parma ham, fennel and rocket (arugula), which I tossed up with a few slices of apple and a sprinkling of hazelnuts. And boy, despite it leaving nothing to wish for tastewise, I could have thought of nicer company than the latest issue of the Economist...

Tapas - a contribution to WTSIM

A little later than anticipated, I finally got round to organising my tapas extravaganza, all in honour of Andrew's WTSIM event this month. And if you haven't had the time to send in your entry yet, you should know that he has gracefully extended the deadline - no excuses now!

I am not sure why, but up until now, I had this immense fear of tortilla failure... and I don't even think it was due to scaremongering, it's more the fact that all the Spaniards I know (and even those who aren't Spanish, but are in love with Spanish food) seem to be extremely opinionated or simply picky when it comes to a tortilla española or Spanish omelett. Whenever I have eaten tortilla in the presence of Spanish friends, I have never heard a word of praise for it, it was always "too dry", "overcooked", "bland", "rubbery" or "just not how they make it here or there". So to get a tortilla right, I was assuming, you needed immense skill and hundreds of years of experience. After last week's first attempts, I can safely say that this is not the case, a natural talent or beginner's luck, maybe (patting herself on shoulder), but I believe to have found out that the quintessential factor is that it must be boiling hot outside so you can stand there over the hot stove, sweat running down your forehead, spine and just about everywhere imaginable and then you can make a pretty darn tasty tortilla just like a Spanish mama would.

When I called my friend Sonia to ask for rough guidance on how to make one (I had seen her do it a million times and never actually jotted down any notes), I was brave enough to pass an idea past her.

I: "So, what if I wanted to give the tortilla a little twist, you know, more than just potato and egg?"
She: "Well, some people put onion in."
(Me, thinking: well, that's a bit plain still.)
Me (actually saying out loud): "I was thinking more along the lines of feta, chilli and parsley".
She (not saying anything for a moment, just gasping along the lines of that's heresy, and if the tortilla really needed it, don't you think that 46,661,950 people would have gone and done something about it? And who the f*** do you think you are anyway, you bloody foreigner, to think you can change our culinary traditions just because you feel like it?)

In her defense, I have never heard her swear, this last bit is completely made up, but it might well have been racing through her mind. Understandably so.

Undeterred, I decided to go for the "adventurous, but still authentic" version that involved some chopped onions and then I did the unimaginable. I made a second lot, defiling the graves of my dear friend's ancestors by putting in some diced feta, chopped chilli and parsley... and you know what, my guests (admittedly completely ignorant when it comes to Spanish food) preferred that second version. But I didn't leave it at that, I had to get Sonia's opinion as well - she praised my traditional tortilla, saying it was tasty and moist and everything you'd expect, she wasn't raving about the eccentric version, which is just as well... but her kids ate it without complaints and they're pretty fussy and strongheaded usually, so I take this as a point in my favour.

I also made some gambas al ajillo, always a winner in my book with loads of garlic and chilli - although I love my prawns, it is the juices I make this for - brilliant for mopping up with some home-made sourdough! Inspired by Sonia's home region of the Basque country and their own twist on tapas (which the call pintxos... don't you love that name?) I made some pintxos of sauteed garlic & herb mushrooms with prawns. And again, although the prawns add a lovely colour and give it that little extra in the looks department, I am just as happy just with the mushrooms fried in a pan, drizzled with garlic and oil, then deglazed with sherry vinegar.

All in all, I made a vow to make tapas more often and especially the tortilla, which is not that hard to make at all - and seeing that it's one of my daughter's favourite foods, I better indulge her with it more often. Do try them all and see what you think: if you have no ties to Spain other than the odd vacation, try the "adventurous" version - I find it light, refreshing and super yummy. I also served this as part of a picnic spread at the Royal Henley Regatta and it went down a treat. It would be a shame to discard such a winning recipe just on the grounds of it not being entirely original, I hope you'll agree!

STOP PRESS:
The deadline for WTSIM has just been extended, as Jeanne, Andrew and myself were roasting in the sun at the Royal Henley Regatta on Saturday, we figured it's been hot enough out there to give you and ourselves a break... check details on SpittoonExtra - no excuses now not to indulge in a tapas evening!