Tapas

Now, believe it or not, but my recent stint in Mexico led me to the discovery of a FANTASTIC little tapas restaurant (run by yanks, in Mexico - go figure).  At least both cultures speak Spanish, even if their cuisine is wildly different.  There were a couple of dishes I tried at this restaurant that really stood out as being amazing, and a recent recipe sent to me by the fitness fanatics over at Self reminded me of one of them.  I tweaked it a little (how can you not have paprika in this dish?!), and you might want to as well by scaling back on that garlic a little - yowza!
 

Chile Garlic Shrimp (or gambas al ajillo if you prefer)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish) 
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
2 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined 
2 dried red chiles (plus more for garnish, if desired) 
1 tsp paprika
2 teaspoons brandy 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 chunk of yummy bread to sop up all the sauce

Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Sauté garlic until browned, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and chiles; sauté until shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add brandy and paprika and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Transfer to a platter or divide equally among 8 small plates. Sprinkle with parsley, add salt to taste and serve.

Another big hit, with everyone I made try them (and it was just about everyone I dined with - definitely everyone that came down to visit) - piquillo pimientos or pasilla peppers (or hell, even red bell peppers) with goat cheese.  Seriously, I think they roast the peppers to give them a nice smoky flavor and soften them up, peel the skins off, stuff them with goat cheese, heat them up, and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt to serve.  Simple; but they are the most amazingly bright and fresh appetizers.  And please, don't do as my dad did - red jalapenos are NOT the same thing.
Fine fine, if you need a recipe; what do you know - Self has one of those too!  Those smarties. 


Served with some grilled asparagus finished with olive oil, lemon & sea salt; a nice glass of Spanish wine; and a dessert of port and delicious cheese with honey and marcona almonds and you may as well be in Spain.