The art of making Spanish tapas
Overview of tapas.
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Transcript
Andalusia, Spain - Manolo Garcia strolls through the fields below his mountainside farm. He and his family have invited some friends over for an evening of wine tasting and he's looking for mushrooms to use in tonight's meal of assorted nibbles known as tapas. Manolo's wife, Rosa, will prepare her own finger food variation with almonds.
Using a trusty old nutcracker, Rosa removes the almonds from their hard shells. Then she pops each of the almonds into a dried fig and her cohetes are done. Spain is famous for its countless varieties of tapas in nearly every shape and size. With a bit of imagination and dexterity, you can turn practically anything into a tapa. Raw sardines are no strangers to the rainbow of possibilities. Rosa marinates them in sea salt and vinegar and lets them soak for three hours. In the meantime, she tends to the olives. Whether you opt for marinated olives, dried ones or both, no evening of tapas would be complete without them.
The same goes for almonds. Rosa toasts hers in a pan with olive oil and salt. Manolo's speciality is fried mushrooms. And his recipe is as simple as Rosa's. Simply sauté a bit of garlic in olive oil and add fresh mushrooms.
Meanwhile, Rosa's sardines are done marinating. She takes them out of the vinegar and lays them out on a platter with freshly chopped parsley and garlic. Finally, she drizzles olive oil over them to infuse the flavor of the sardines with the various seasonings. Now let's see how the mushrooms are doing. Manolo deglazes them with a bit of homemade white wine and lets them simmer in the fluid for a little while. And with that, his tapas are ready.
In the wine cellar, where Manolo's wine matures in oak casks, he, Rosa and their friends gather in a toast, and the evening of wine tasting commences. Tapas are an ideal food to enjoy at such an event, because they readily absorb the alcohol between sips. Originally, tapas were just a piece of white bread used to cover wine, beer and sherry glasses from insects. The word tapa roughly means lid and they were served free of charge with a drink. A tasty topping was often prepared by the bartender directly at the counter.
Using a trusty old nutcracker, Rosa removes the almonds from their hard shells. Then she pops each of the almonds into a dried fig and her cohetes are done. Spain is famous for its countless varieties of tapas in nearly every shape and size. With a bit of imagination and dexterity, you can turn practically anything into a tapa. Raw sardines are no strangers to the rainbow of possibilities. Rosa marinates them in sea salt and vinegar and lets them soak for three hours. In the meantime, she tends to the olives. Whether you opt for marinated olives, dried ones or both, no evening of tapas would be complete without them.
The same goes for almonds. Rosa toasts hers in a pan with olive oil and salt. Manolo's speciality is fried mushrooms. And his recipe is as simple as Rosa's. Simply sauté a bit of garlic in olive oil and add fresh mushrooms.
Meanwhile, Rosa's sardines are done marinating. She takes them out of the vinegar and lays them out on a platter with freshly chopped parsley and garlic. Finally, she drizzles olive oil over them to infuse the flavor of the sardines with the various seasonings. Now let's see how the mushrooms are doing. Manolo deglazes them with a bit of homemade white wine and lets them simmer in the fluid for a little while. And with that, his tapas are ready.
In the wine cellar, where Manolo's wine matures in oak casks, he, Rosa and their friends gather in a toast, and the evening of wine tasting commences. Tapas are an ideal food to enjoy at such an event, because they readily absorb the alcohol between sips. Originally, tapas were just a piece of white bread used to cover wine, beer and sherry glasses from insects. The word tapa roughly means lid and they were served free of charge with a drink. A tasty topping was often prepared by the bartender directly at the counter.