Food & Drink

8th March 2021

Bringing The Restaurants In | Tapas Night

Tapas – the perfect meal where there’s something for everyone. Whilst we may not be travelling to the homeland of paella and churros anytime soon, you can still get your Spanish fix at home. Here’s the second of a mini series, ‘Bringing The Restaurants In’. Follow these recipes and be transported to the good old days of eating out. Check out the latest one here.

From baked eggs to frittata, paella to patatas bravas, we’ve got you covered. So concoct some sangria and whip out your favourite chopping board to place cured meats and olives on. A fun lockdown night is awaiting you!

Red Wine Sangria

Ingredients:

  • 2 x bottles of red
  • Orange juice, a good glug
  • Lemon juice, to taste
  • Grenadine syrup, to taste
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Oranges, sliced
  • Lemons, sliced

White Wine Sangria

Ingredients:

  • 2 x bottles of white
  • Lemonade, a good glug
  • Lemon juice, to taste
  • Lime juice, to taste
  • Dash of grenadine syrup
  • Green apples, chopped
  • Lemons, sliced
  • Limes, sliced
Image Credit: The Author – Red Wine Sangria

Who doesn’t like to kick off the cooking process with a glass in hand? As a somewhat stressy cook, I certainly do! Sangria is a fruity fave of mine and brought back the summer feelings we’re all craving right now.

Method:

Sangria is one of the easiest drinks to make. Just bung it all in a large saucepan (or other hefty container, glass jug if you’re posh) and give it a stir. The perfectionists among us might not agree, but play it by ear! Little taste tests along the way will help you decide how much of a certain ingredient to put in. Refreshing and fun to make, what’s not to like?!

Potato Frittata

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes
  • Feta cheese
  • Tenderstem broccoli
  • Spring onions
  • Eggs
Image Credit: Photo by Shameel mukkath from Pexels

There are so many variants to this dish so find one that works for you. We went for a feta and greens mash-up.

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C and lightly grease a deep baking tin. Boil however many potatoes are required for your group size and mash them. Place into the tin and crumble feta cheese on top. Then layer with some tenderstem broccoli and chopped spring onions. Whisk the number of eggs required (we used 4), season, and pour to coat the other ingredients in the tin. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the eggs have set.

Baked Eggs

Ingredients:

  • Onion
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Spinach
  • Tomato sauce of your choice
  • Eggs
  • Cheddar cheese, grated
  • Crusty bread, to serve
Image Credit: Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

As a newbie to baked eggs, I thoroughly enjoyed this wholesome, warm dish. However, for those of you that like your fried eggs cooked on both sides, be warned: this taste sensation is a bit on the runny side! Again, this dish can be customised depending on your preferences.

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C and lightly grease a deep baking tin. Fry the onion, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Then, if you want to cheat a bit (like us), pour over a shop-bought tomato sauce – we went for tomato and basil. Alternatively, make your own. When it’s simmering away, add the mixture to your baking tin. Crack enough eggs over to cover, ensuring they don’t break, and top with grated cheddar cheese. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes or, in the words of Jamie Oliver, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Serve with crusty bread. Tip: we did our Asda shop late the night before and got their Extra Special range bread for very cheap!

Paella

Ingredients:

  • Onion
  • 300g paella rice
  • Smoked, sweet paprika
  • Thyme
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 900ml stock of choice
  • Mussels
  • Prawns
  • Fresh parsley, to serve
Image Credit: The Author – Tapas Night

Would it really be a tapas night if paella wasn’t involved? We adapted an easy recipe from BBC Good Food.

Method:

Firstly, chop and fry the onion. Then add the paella rice; smoked, sweet paprika (normal will work fine if you don’t have any) and thyme. Give it a stir. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, 900ml of your stock of choice, and seasoning. Cook for about 15 minutes on the hob, stirring to ensure the rice doesn’t stick. Then it’s time to add your seafood (we went for mussels and prawns) and give that a final cook to ensure it’s heated through and the rice is soft. Serve with scattered parsley over the top.

Patatas Bravas

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Thyme, dried
  • Rosemary, dried
  • Mixed herbs
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • Smoked, sweet paprika
  • Chilli powder
  • BBQ seasoning
  • Sour cream
  • Thyme, fresh
Image Credit: The Author – Patatas Bravas

When I go out for tapas, patatas bravas are a must-have. They’re gooey, smoky, and always fill me up. I’m pleased to say that these homemade ones did not disappoint!

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into 2 x loaf tins. Next, chop however many potatoes are required for your group size into cubes. Spread these out between the two loaf tins and coat with thyme, rosemary, mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Place into the oven for 40-50 minutes. Whilst they are cooking, prepare your sauce. Mix together the tin of chopped tomatoes; smoked, sweet paprika (or normal if you don’t have any); chilli powder and BBQ seasoning. This is what will give your patatas bravas that signature smoky taste. When the potatoes are out of the oven, cover with the tomato sauce followed by a good dollop of sour cream. Lastly, sprinkle with the paprika and fresh thyme.

A Final Comment

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be down to Salt House Tapas as soon as it can re-open. But, in the meantime, these five recipes satisfied my Spanish cravings and provided us with a night of lockdown entertainment. Happy cooking!

To find out the best food and drinks that Liverpool has to offer, and tasty recipes, check out some of our other articles!

Featured Image Credit: The Author