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Happy Holidays! I guess I just failed miserably at being holiday-generic, what with the Ho Ho part, huh?

Since I’ve also failed msierably at keeping up with my blog, I’m going to do a little shameless self-promotion — by coercing you into checking out the two latest Boomer Babe Web Marketing posts.

As you know, I started Boomer Babe Web Marketing just a few months ago with a group of great people. I finally twisted the arms of a couple of them and they gave in and write blog posts. And they’re really good! You can get a fabulous fondue recipe from Grace, and really great marketing hints from Margot. I’d encourage you to subscribe to that blog as there will be a lot of interesting and tasty variety. The Feedblitz link is in the right side of the Boomer Babe blog. Check it out:

Boomer Babe Web Marketing Blog

Trust me on this one. It’s worth the click.

And, no matter what flavor of holidays you prefer, I wish you a very happy season and a prosperous and healthy new year!!

Sangria is quickly becoming a drink that a Spaniard wouldn’t be caught dead drinking. Not because it’s not good, but because the tourists like it too much! Most of my friends roll their eyes if I order Sangria. But in the summer when it’s 110 degrees in the shade, this fruity, not-too-sweet wine concoction is just the ticket.

The fast and easy way to make Sangria is to simply purchase a cheap bottle of red wine, pour it into a pitcher, add an equal part of your favorite lemon/lime soda, drop in a few slices of orange and apple, and serve over ice.

But then, again, you can drink the real stuff. I’m still debating whether or not I want to share this recipe in its entirety…

One night we went to a wonderful seafood restaurant on the beach in Javea. My friend wanted to crawl under the table when I ordered Sangria in a fancy restaurant. But when I insisted that she taste it, she quickly changed her mind. Now THAT is Sangria! I asked her if she thought they might share the recipe. She thought I was nuts. Nevertheless, when the waitress returned, I said (wearing my sweetest “I’m a stupid foreigner” grin and stammering in broken Spanish) “This Sangria is the best I have ever tasted. Can you tell me how you make it? Please????” She smiled broadly, disappeared, and quickly came back with the full recipe scribbled on a napkin. SCORE!!!!!!!!

OK, so I’ll share. But when you drink it, you have to toast the source: Los Remos in Javea.

Sangria from Los Remos (The Rower)
Javea, Spain

1 bottle white wine
1 bottle rosé wine
1 bottle red wine
½ bottle Cointreau
¼ bottle Brandy
1 bottle Vermouth
Add pieces of fruit & soda

Serve over ice. Be prepared to sit around for hours, eat tapas, and RELAX, you wired up Americans!!!

OK, I’ll admit it. I harbor a not-so-secret wish to become a tapas bar owner. I’ve left many a cocktail-party goer with their jaw on the floor with that little bit of news. TAPAS bar, not topless bar!

Tapas are the little bites of Spain — in case you’re not a foodie and haven’t heard about them in the past couple of years. Tapa means “cover,” which is where this tasty tradition came from. There are several stories about the origin of tapas but my favorite is that a king of Spain was out on a hunting trip on a windy day. When the hunting party stopped for a break, a servant brought the king a glass of wine, which was covered by a piece of bread with a slice of jamon (dried cured ham) on top. When the king asked “What’s this?” the servant replied, “Sire, it is to cover your cup to prevent the wind from blowing dirt into your wine.” The King liked it so much that he made it a regular part of the castle cuisine, and people all over the country soon adopted the custom.

Spaniards traditionally have 5 meals a day; a custom which is, sadly, disappearing. One of those meals is around 4 or 5pm when they often stop in at a neighborhood tapas bar and have a drink and a few small tapas, or appetizers. In some parts of Spain drinks are still served with free tapas, but that too is fading away.

Tapas have evolved into every type of appetizer you can imagine. Despite the enormous variety, you’ll still find certain staples in neighborhood tapas bars all over Spain. Those include jamon, tortilla española (see previous post for recipe) and a variety of dried sausages, Russian salad (don’t ask, I haven’t figured that out), potato chips (often homemade), cheeses, and a variety of fresh or preserved seafood. I also have to mention roasted piquillo peppers. These are roasted red peppers that are grown in Spain. Our red peppers are delicious when roasted, but piquillos are extra-special. You can find them at online stores.

One of my favorite neighborhood tapas bars

One of our favorite parties is to invite friends over for tapas and wine (and Sangria in the summer). A tapas party can be incredibly easy, or as fancy as you care to go. The options for available canned and prepared tapas are many; even in the U.S. And trust me, they’re good! You can order prepared foods for your tapas party from a number of online stores. Of course the prices are not what you’d pay in Spain, but the quality of the products and the ease of putting together a party with these canned goodies is well worth it. I use a number of online stores, but two of my favorites are AmigoFoods.com and Tienda.com.

I will share some of my favorite tapas recipes as we go along, but for today we’ll stick with the basics. Start with a good crusty bread, cut into thin slices and toasted on both sides. In the Barcelona region of Catalunya they rub the toast with a garlic clove and then with cut chunks of tomato, then drizzle it with good Spanish olive oil. You can top that with jamon (ham-OWN), sliced sausages, or any good Spanish cheese. Manchego cheese is one of the most popular, but don’t stop there. There are dozens of artesan cheeses that are rather pricey here, but again, very well worth it.

Artesan cheesemaker in a small local market

Any respectable tapas party needs olives. This is where I have to keep off my soapbox because the olives in Spain are, in my opinion, far superior to anything I’ve been able to buy locally in the US. I suggest buying them online unless you live in an area that has a good gourmet market. The olive bars that are featured in our high-end markets are very salty or so vinegar-y that I can barely eat them. Not so in Spain. Look for real Spanish olives and see what you think. Olives stuffed with anchovies are one of the most common. Don’t be afraid, they are not salty or fishy.

Small olive selection at a local market

Once again I find myself with a book’s worth of info and the nagging reminder that blog posts are supposed to be SHORT! Maybe someday I’ll master that skill. So I’ll leave you with this great summer suggestion: throw a tapas party…. just be careful how you tell people!

My stash of fast tapas ingredients

Tortilla Española, one of the classic dishes of Spain, is deceptively simple and incredibly delicious. Although there are tons of variations, the original is nothing more than a magical combination of eggs, potatoes, and onion. But once you get hooked on tortilla, you understand just how amazing this trio can be — especially in the hands of the right Mama or Abuela (Grandmother).

You can get a recipe for Tortilla Española almost anywhere. But good luck making one on your own, without a little experienced instruction. Each cook has her (and occasionally his) own little tricks. I’ve been a guest in the kitchens of several great cooks and they have each shared their family secrets, insisting that theirs is the very best tortilla. And they’re all right! So I’m going to share some of their secrets. It’s taken me dozens of tries and at least 10 lessons in home kitchens to finally get reasonable results. My Spanish friends sometimes even invite me to cook tortilla for them. But who are we kidding? They’re just being polite.

Tools:
10″ Non-stick skillet (my new project is to use my iron skillet to avoid the particles from the non-stick surface, but that’s another lesson)
Very thin, flexible spatula
Flat dinner plate

Ingredients:
3 - 4 large fresh eggs (tortilla thickness varies depending on the region and the cook)
2 medium potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold) — Cleaned and peeled
1/2 medium onion (sweet is best)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Spanish preferred — use one that is deep, rich green in color if you can find it)
Sea salt to taste

1. Preheat the skillet over medium heat and fill to about 1/2″ with olive oil — don’t let it get too hot
2. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and slice them very thin (semi-circles)
3. Carefully slide the potato slices into the oil and cook slowly over low to medium heat. Do not brown!
4. Slice the onion thin and add to the oil with the potatoes when the potatoes are about half done
5. As the potatoes and onions cook, use the spatula to break them into very small pieces
6. Sprinkle good sea salt over the potato mixture as it cooks
7. While the potato mixture cooks, crack the eggs into a large bowl. Whisk with about 3 Tbs of water until the eggs are light and frothy
8. When the potatoes are done all the way through, are very tender, but not brown, transfer them to a plate covered with paper towels and drain off any excess oil. You may want to cover with additional paper towels and press to remove oil. Careful not to get bits of paper towel in the potatoes.
9. Spoon the potato mixture into the beaten eggs (in the bowl) and mix gently
10. Pour off all of the oil from the pan, but do not wipe it down (leave a thin coating of oil)
11. Reheat the skillet to medium
12. Pour the eggs and potato mixture into the warm skillet and gently move the potatoes around to distribute evenly. Be careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan. The mixture should be very thick with potatoes.
13. Cover the skillet with a loose fitting lid and make sure the heat is medium or less. The mixture needs to cook slowly to cook all the way through.
14. As the mixture begins to set up, gently scrape the sides of the pan to loosen. Do not run the spatula under the mixture until you are reasonably sure that a light golden crust has formed on the bottom.
15. When you are reasonaly sure that the mixture is done enough to hold its shape, run the spatula around the edges and under the tortilla to loosen it. Careful not to break it.
16. Remove the skillet from the heat, place the dinner plate upside down over the skillet and hold in place with 2 thick dish towels. In one quick move, flip the skillet over to get the tortilla on the plate. Quickly put the skillet back onto the burner and slide the tortilla, wet side down, back into the skillet.

Flippin’ the Tortilla

17. Cover the pan, be sure the skillet is on low to medium heat, and allow to cook for just a couple of minutes more. If you cook it too long the tortilla will be dry. Most people prefer it to be slightly moist on the inside.
18. When the tortilla is done, flip it once more onto the plate (clean the plate of excess egg first).

A thing of beauty!

Allow the tortilla to cool for a couple of minutes. Slice into pie-shaped wedges. Serve with sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise to dip, and good crusty bread that has been toasted and drizzled with good Spanish extra virgin olive oil.

Favorite tips from friends:
1. Maria Jose says that if you soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for about half an hour and then drain them well on paper towels before you fry them, that the potatoes won’t hold as much olive oil and therefore the dish won’t be quite as fattening. I’m no food scientist, but it seems to work.
2. Some people prefer to keep the potatoes in full slices. Others like to smush up the potatoes. I’m in the smushed camp. Chelo uses her spatula to dice up the potatoes while they cook into an almost indistinguishable mush. Sounds awful, but it creates a really nice consistency in the finished tortilla.
3. In Spain they have ajos tiernos — young garlic — that looks like large green onions. If you have access to those wonderful things, thinly slice 2 or 3 and add them to the potatoes during cooking.
4. Some people say that you should add salt to the potatoes only, and never to the eggs. I can’t tell the difference. Just be sure to use plenty of salt to taste.

If you try it, report back and let us know how it goes. I’m happy to answer questions if I can, and if not, I’ll ask somebody in Spain to help us out. Bon Apetit!

Perfect late night dinner