Enjoy Spanish tapas at your next picnic
Small-plate snacks can be prepared in advance for any outdoor event
Snibbles, we call them in our house. Snacks and nibbles combined.
Tapas, they call them in Spain. Small bites of satisfying flavours to enjoy with a beverage of choice. Sparkling lemonade for the young ones; beer, spiked wine and cocktails for the rest of us.
I enjoy having tapas in place of a traditional meat-and-veg meal anytime. Perhaps it’s the relaxed way everyone hangs around the table, lingering over food and drink. Perhaps it’s the conversation that gets livelier the deeper we get into the beer and wine stash. Perhaps it’s the fact that most small-plate snacks can be made in advance, so the cook relaxes.
Dining with friends at Las Golondrinas, in Seville’s Triana quarter, we nearly inhale small plates of the most stunning seasonal vegetables, along with local fish tapas, platters of artisanal cheeses and a variety of Spanish hams. The warm evening sparks an idea: Tapas make perfect picnic fare. They epitomize outdoor summer goodness.
I first enjoyed one of Spain’s most iconic tapas dishes, tortilla espanola, a rich potato omelette, a decade ago when seated at the counter at Cal Pep, a favourite tapas bar in Barcelona. This spring, we happily stood in a queue for the small restaurant to refresh our memories.
First, we studied Cal Pep’s method for another Spanish classic, pan con tomate (tomato bread): Split and toast a crusty bread roll, smear with oil and cut garlic, then smoosh a red ripe tomato over the cut surface of the bread. Add drops of fruity Spanish olive oil and a dramatic sprinkle of coarse salt.
We ate the delicious bread slowly while watching the cooks assemble the sliced Spanish chorizo and oil-cooked potatoes for our omelette. Beaten eggs get ladled into the skillet over the sausage and potatoes. The omelette gets flipped to cook both sides to golden perfection with a nearly creamy centre.
Finally, the omelette is slid onto a plate and smeared with garlicky mayonnaise. New memories form with each bite.
At home, I make a version within reach of most by using fully cooked chicken chorizo and Yukon gold potatoes. The tricky part is flipping the semicooked omelette. Use care and work in a small non-stick skillet to minimize trouble. Serve the omelette warm or at room temperature. I also like it cold topped with dressed lettuces and sliced tomato.
Immediately after tasting salmorejo, the thick and creamy rendition of chilled Spanish gazpacho served to us in Granada, we added it to our summer entertaining menu.
When tomatoes are in season, I keep a glass jar of the soup in the refrigerator for the ultimate summer refresher. Tote it in a cooler along with a small container of garnishes to enjoy at the beach or an outdoor concert. Serve the soup with rosé wine, a wedge of manchego cheese and crusty bread.
Super-fresh farmers market carrots, beets, mushrooms and radishes transform from hum- ble beginnings into gorgeous tapas offerings when lightly marinated in a sherry-and-smoked-paprika vinaigrette. The vegetables can be made a day or so in advance. Let them come to room temperature for the fullest flavour.
To pack up your tapas picnic, put everything into attractive, shallow containers with tight lids.
Line two trays with parchment paper, and arrange assorted cheeses on one tray and thinly sliced hams and salamis on the other. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap for transporting. Refrigerate everything, and then pack in coolers with ice packs.
For this summer’s sangria, I marinate berries and orange in Spanish rosé wine. To make a sparkling cocktail, I top off the spiked wine with apple- or berry-flavoured kombucha (I like the Pink Lady Apple version from Health-Ade). The kombucha adds a light sparkle and cuts the sweetness. Use club soda for bolder bubbles.
I also tote along a bottle of Spanish olive oil and a shallow rimmed bowl to pour it into, along with a basket to hold crackers and sliced French baguette. Bring plenty of small plates, wooden picks and forks for eating. Add a cooler of chilled beer, ice cubes and tall glasses for the sparkling sangria.
Then enjoy a night of nibbling and good conversation under the stars with friends.