A Spanish evening amongst friends, Tapas Ole, Qui????

Albert our New member



This evening had been planned for quite a while! Ever since I thought it would be nice to have a Spring get together with a warm theme!

The menu was left up to each what they would provide, but to prevent double banking, we did get in touch via e-mail to give the name of the Tapas.

So it was to be:

Me - Festive octopus, Kidney tartlets and Paella

Linda - Meatballs in a tomato sherry sauce, deep fried calamari rings and aioli, Creme Catalan with a surprise

Carolyn - Potato/tuna salad, Catalonian  avocado salad

Marianne - Tomato bread, Andalusian liver, Manchego cheese

Martin - Green asparagus and fresh water crayfish tails salad in a glass, Bullfighters beef salad (with love), Brandy de la Casa

Kalle - Anchovy sandwiches (Pan con Anchoa), figs and blue cheese, skewered apricots, chorizo and muscadet raisins.

My preparation started on Friday evening after a 4 hour drive from Rheda to Kiel (365km), I am licky in that as I come off the Autobahn, Citti Markt has its slip road. Citti Markt is a foodies Paradise, it has just about anything that you would wish for. As I was looking for Octopus and didn't want to leave it to the chance they would have it at the fish market the next day. I headed straight for the Gosch fish stall. Gosch is perhaps the premiere name in fish in Germany, they started off as a fish restaurant on the Island of Sylt and then because of its success, expanded through out Germany, being taken on a wave of well shod and designer clothed prominent TV presenters, actors, pop stars (and those that think they are) and other riff raff that believe they are a lot better than the average punter.

But I digress, I saw that they had fresh octopus and also swordfish, so bought both, next round through the meat counter and bought a pack of  4 quails and a tin of 12 snails (not from the meat counter but it did sound nice). I also noticed that they had frozen shell on prawns €5,99 kilo, now that was a bargain too good to miss.

So that evening Linda had defrosted my last 3 codling that I caught in September, she also was making chips so it was to be fish and chips done in my Christmas prezzie a Cuisinart Friteuse.

Saturday morning up bright and early as we wanted to get to the Turkish butchers before the Turks. I needed kidney's, which they had  and Linda wanted a shoulder of lamb which the butcher boned and also gave her a big bag of bones for stock. We also picked up a few other odds and ends that are readily available in large bags for a cost of about 50% of normal super markets.

We then made a dash across the Kiel market to get a few odds and ends, mussels for me and a fresh squid for Linda, a bit of veg and then it was home to do the prep.

I started with the preparation of the octopus, this entailed de-beaking de-eyeing and skinning the beast.

It was then put into a pan with a chopped onion, a crushed clove of garlic and a handful of freeze dried root vegetables. A slug of red wine vinegar and about 1/2" of water brought to the boil and then reduced to the lowest heat, lid on and allowed to braise for a couple of hours.

Next was preparing the Paella.

I got all of the individual ingredients ready:
500g Broad beans (blanched)
2 Red Capsicum diced but keep some for decoration in slices
800g Prawns
1 kg Mussels cooked in a court boullion and removed from the shells (keep 8 uncooked to put in the paella for decoration)
4 quail
2 slices of sword fish steak cut into 6 portions
24 snails (tinned)
1 tin tomatoes
500g Paella rice
1.5 litres of stock (made from the quail, fish shells, skin and bones)
1 packet of saffron powder
6 anchovy filets

Sliced and blanched some greed broad beans, sliced a couple of long red capsicum, pealed and deveined the defrosted prawns, reserving 8 monster ones for decoration, put the mussels into a courte bouillon except for the 8 for decoration. These where removed from the shells, the liquor (strained) can be added to the stock if you're abit short.





 Skinned and removed the breasts from the quails and drained the snails.

defrosted prawns



slitting the deshelled prawn




deveining



deboning and skinning the quails

 
Put the  prawn shells and the sword fish skin into a pan with some vegetable stock, with the juice from the tinned tomatoes and in another pan went the quail wings, skin and bones with a handful of freeze dried veg, a few herbs, thyme and rosemary and a litre of chicken stock.


When the fish stock is ready (no more than 10 minutes) pour through a sieve, and return to a clean pan, pour about a cup full over the saffron keep to one side. Now strain the quail stock and add to the fish stock and add a bit of paprika

It was time for a break as Linda had made us a couple of sandwiches and some fresh brewed coffee, feet up and watch a bit of Saturday Kitchen, bloody lousy reception on a Saturday morning.

That finished Linda started on her concoctions, she was making meat balls in a sherry tomato sauce and the desert of Creme Catalan and a dark chocolate mousse. She also had skin and clean the calamari.

I was wanting to watch football focus, but Linda called and asked if I could turn the calamari inside out, well of course I could and as I was on my feet again, I decided to core and dice the kidneys and finish these off as it was to be a cold starter.

Kidney tartlets in a sherry sauce: (these are one bite Tapas)

3 lambs kidneys skinned, cored and diced

1 shallot fine dice

1 clove of garlic crushed

Slug of Sherry

2 table spoons of Turkish paprika paste (this comes in various levels of heat, careful some can be very piquant)

1 table spoon of olive oil

2 desert spoons of crème frais

a small chopped chilli

some fresh thyme (to suit your taste)

S&P to taste

Pastry cases:

75g  plain flour

25g of semolina flour

65g of softened butter

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Mix the flours and salt together., cut the butter up into cubes, rub between finger until like soft bread crumbs and add the lemon juice to bring together form into a ball and chill for half an hour. Now roll out, cut with a small pastry cutter and put into mini muffin tins, bake in a preheated oven 180°C until golden brown (keep an eye on them as it doesn't take long). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, now fry the shallot and garlic until translucent, add the kidneys, chilli and thyme and saute to colour them, add the sherry and allow to reduce, add the paprika paste and crème frais, bubble up to thicken.

I kept both of the individual items separate until bringing together just before serving, these can be served warm of cold, we had them cold.

The octopus was by this time well and truly tender, I added some red wine and smoked paprika powder, reduced whilst stirring and that was it, finished.

The Paella



Adding the swordfish to the quail and red capsicum

 Heat a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil in the centre of the Paella (the paella being the name for the cooking utensil) add the garlic and fry until golden, remove and discard. Now add the onion and fry until translucent, push to the side of the paella. Add the quails and fry until golden, push to one side. Add the sword fish pieces and again fry until they take on colour. Add the diced paprika, beans, snails and shelled prawns and mussels. flash fry and now add the rice to the middle of the pan (you may have to add a bit more oil) and fry for a few minutes until all the grains are glistening and coated in oil, move the fish and meat etc around so that you have an even mix in the pan. Now heat up the stock and pour 1/3 over the whole lot and allow to boil, add the saffron and stock, and drizzle it evenly all around the pan.  Now add another 1/3 of the stock and lower the heat and it should just be simmering, I chose to do mine in the oven (180°C) as otherwise it would mean keep moving the pan around on the too small plate. After about 20 minutes give it one last stir and add the last of the stock, pushing in the remaining mussels, prawns, paprika  and tomato strips. Cook until the rice is wonderfully soft and the crust has formed on the bottom. Cover with foil or better a tea towel(or as is traditional, wrap in layers of  news paper) this will help to absorb any remaining liquid.

frying the quail breasts and legs



adding the prawns to the rest of the ingredients



The Paella starting to cook

The paella about 2/3 done just getting the last stock

Linda

Crema Catalana and a surprise (Marquesa de Chocolate Valenciana)

250ml of milk
250ml of single cream
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of corn flour
75g of sugar
4 strips of lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
Demerara sugar for the caramel


Simmer the milk and cream with the lemon zest and cinnamon, then leave for 20 minutes to infuse. Beat together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour, strain the warm milk/cream through a sieve into a clean pan and bring back to a simmer, pour this over the egg mixture, return to the saucepan and over a low heat allow to thicken, pour into ramikins and chill to set. Just prior to serving, dust the top with the demerara sugar and give it a blast with the old bunsen burner.

The Marquesa surprise

100g of finest dark 80% chocolate broken into small pieces
3 table spoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
30g of unsalted butter in dice
2 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
2 table spoons of caster sugar

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl over just simmering water, when melted stir in the cocoa powder, take from the heat and melt in the butter beating to make it glossy. Separate the eggs and stir the 2 yolks into the mixture, whisk the whites into soft peaks, add the sugar and whisk for a further 3 minutes now fold the chocolate mixture slowly into the merangue. spoon into small coffee cups and chill until ready


Linda's meat balls in a sherry tomato sauce

500g of mixed pork and beef mince
100g of minced speck
50g of green olives destoned
2 slices of stale bread
4 table spoons of lemon juice
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
good pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne

2 eggs beaten and flour for coating
oil for frying.

Tomato sherry sauce

800g tin of tomato pulp
1 onion finely diced
a good slug of fino sherry (I am sure Linda had a heavy hand that day)

For the sauce fry the onion until just taking on colour, add the tomato and reduce over a very low heat

Linda frying the meat balls, sauce in the large pot, small pot has the fish stock for the Paella and the saffron stock mixture in the plastic container

While your sauce is reducing, soak your bread in the lemon juice then squeeze out, add all of the ingredients to food processor, roll into small balls. Cover in egg and dust in flour, Heat the oil in the pan and fry the meat balls until golden brown and cooked through. Now pour the sherry into the sauce and mix well pour over the meat balls.
Serve warm.


Deep fried Calamari rings

The Aioli for the calamari rings

We had a wonderful evening starting with a chilled bottle of Spanish Cava, the usual chit chat and idle banter that takes place amongst friends. We then started preparing and plating up the food.

Martin

Asparagus and crayfish tails in a glass

Bull fighters beef salad (Fenchel, sliced beef, oranges, olives)

Carolyn

Catalan avocado,pine nuts, anchovy and olive salad

Potato and tuna salad (Papa Aliñàs)

Ingredients:


Waxy potatoes (for tapas, approx. 1 (German-sized) medium potato per person)

½ onion, very finely chopped

3 red peppers, roasted and skinned

Green olives, pitted

Flat-leaf parsley

Olive oil

Sherry vinegar

Salt,

Black pepper



Accompaniment:

Tuna, good quality chunks preserved in olive oil or fresh (then cooked)



Method:

Boil, peel (or peel and boil) and dice potatoes, thinly slice red peppers, and slice olives and chop parsley.

In a bowl, mix potatoes, peppers, olives, onion and parsley. Dress generously with olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve tuna chunks separately.

According to Spanish source, other vegetables can also be used (chopped hard-boiled eggs, white asparagus, peas).

Marianne


Tomato/ onion bruschette (Spanish style)

Andalusian Liver

Manchego cheese and olives

Kalle

Anchovy fried bread sandwiches

Apricot, chorizo and muscadet raisins on a skewer drizzled with honey

Fresh figs and blue cheese

To drink besides the Cava (Marianne)

A wonderful white wine from Carolyn

Linda provided a Spanish red

Martin had a very nice Osborn Brandy

and yours truly supplied 2 bottles of San Miguel beer. (1ltr each)

And if you notice not a sardine in sight.



not a lot left!!!!



The evening was interspersed with the wonderful digital slide show of Mariannes Sabbatical tour of Southern Africa