43 - Rice with Tomatoes and Peppers [Arroz con Tomate y Pimientos]

Ok. More salad-y based things. This time it was all  kinds of red; tomato, rice, spice and no cucumber. Happy days. Still attempting to find healthier options this week before a heavy hen-do weekend and this one sounded more palatable than the other potential candidates. 


The Verdict:
This was really rather excellent. All the ingredients were totally love-able, the flavour and colours were vibrant and well balanced and was actually quite tasty and more exciting than some of the options I've eaten recently. Hooray. It would work better if integrated with a meat dish or something else rather than eating it by itself but I recommend it and will probably eat this again. 




Taste:       4/5   No Rotten Tomatoes
Time:      2.5/5  35 Mins
Visual :      3/5  Oranjiboom
Magic :   3.5/5  Top Salad

42 - Chickpeas and Cucumber Salad [Ensalada De Garbanzos Con Pepino]

This week I'm really trying to be healthy. Trying. And failing. So I made this to eat for lunch and thought a) something refreshing would be nice b) I'm skint and what do I have in the fridge/ cupboard. Thing is that I really hate cucumber. Its really the one thing I never eat. Most people think I'm crazy because its such an inoffensive vegetable but I hate the smell, how it dominates anything it goes near and the crunchy flavour-less texture. Nevertheless I had very little to make anything else and well it was the morning. There are a lot of recipes which use ingredients I'm not a fan of so at least this one is in-offensive and its only for lunch anyway..


The Verdict:
Despite the cucumber element this was refreshing. I did eat around the cucumber so may have been better off leaving it out entirely but felt that was cheating. I also used tinned chickpeas because I didn't fancy waiting 40 minutes for a salad at 7am. I popped this in the freezer at work for 5 minutes before eating so it was super chilled. As salads with my least favourite food goes, this was ok. Tasted like it might/ should be healthy anyway. 

Taste: 1/5     Distinctly Cucumber-y
Time:  4/5     10 Minutes
Visual: 4/5     Salads Look Great
Magic: 2/5     Salad

41 - Beer Battered Calamari [Cerveza Maltratadas Calamari]

Another Catalan inspired piece of magic. I really love Calamari. The first time I had it was in Greece and was before I really started eating any seafood. What I loved about Calamari and Octopus was a) its really weird b) Its not in the slightest bit fishy c) The chewy texture is really good. Since then I've eaten a lot of calamari most noteably in South Africa this year because they kjnow how to cook it, over here its often overdone and  rubbery so we shall see how this one holds up...


The Verdict:
This was cooked perfectly! The batter was light, the lemon was fresh and the squidling was far from rubbery. Possibly some of the best cooked Calamari I've ever had.Epic. 

Taste : 4/5

Cost : 3.5/5

Speed of Service: 4/5

Magic : 4/5

40 - Grilled Padron Peppers [Parrilla Pimientos Padrón]

40 different tapas dishes already. This may be easier than I thought. I'm finding it harder to keep on top of writing it up than I am to make or eat them. Another [fairly] healthy one today. Grilled Pardon peppers seasoned with oil, salt and pepper. The interesting thing with these is that some are hot and spicy and others less so...


The Verdict:
Tasty and surprisingly nice, even when you don't hit a hot one. Simple but the chargrilled cuts through the flavour of the pepper and the texture is softer, more like a sun-dried tomato. As a quick, tasty snack these were really good. And when you ate a hot one it was something else. 

Taste: 3/5 Seasoned Greens
Time:  4/5 10 Minutes
Visual: 2/5 Burnt Green
Magic: 2.5/5 Surprise Spice

39 - Hard Boiled Eggs With Olives [Huevos Duros con Aceitunas]

Many Tapas recipes contain hard boiled eggs. Although not unpleasant its really not my favourite way to eat eggs, although peeling the shells off is strangely satisfying...

The Verdict:

This was quick, really yummy and actually worked really well with the egg. The flavours were well balanced so that I was really pleasantly surprised. Plus they looked great...

Taste :      3.5/5    Better Than Expected.

Time  :      4/5      12 Minutes

Visual :      4/5      Pretty Cool

Magic :      3/5     Surprising

38 - Eggs on Toast With Spinach and Cheese [Huevos en Tostada con Espinacas y Queso]

More variations of eggs on toast. This time with some greenery for a change..

The Verdict:

Not the best eggs so far but filling, satisfying and tasty none the less. I used as walnut bread by mistake which I didn't think would work but actually added an extra dimension to what would otherwise have been more scrambled eggs on toast...

Taste :      3/5    As Expected

Time  :      4/5    12 Mins

Visual :      3.5/5  Interesting  

Magic :      2/5    See Taste Above

37 - Lentil Salad [Lentejas en Enselada]

 I'm writing this after possibly one of the most unlucky days I've had in a while. Still I survived to make another dish. Trying to be healthy this week and stick to a limited budget so sadly the next few tapas are far from exciting. I had a feeling this one wouldn't be that exciting but felt it was worth a shot..

The Verdict:

While ham and lentil go well together in soup, as a cold salad its bland, and while it would be refreshing on a summers day, on a wet spring evening it didn't quite cut the mustard. Still there was a nice balance of flavours just overall the texture was mushy and bland. Waiting 45 minutes for it to cook was also not that fun. But it was light, healthy tasting and refreshing, would rather have have lentil soup

Taste :      3/5    Average

Time  :      2/5     45 Mins

Visual :      2/5    Errr.... maybe not.

Magic :      2/5    Leave It To Soup

Ole

So I'm two days behind in updating this but its purely circumstantial. And if you've ever wondered what happens at 5am when you have been locked inside your office all night this is it...

36 - Chicken With Garlic, Parsley and Lemon [Pollo Con Ajo, Perejil y Limón]

And its... back to my own kitchen. With the weather starting to perk up [slightly] I'm going to hit some of the less heavy meals in this book. There are a lot of lighter dishes which sound really refreshing and to be honest I've eaten just about all the red meat I can handle for the time being. I never thought I'd say this but I might start having nightmares about Chorizo if I see another slice of it. I actually started writing this up last night and fell asleep to a bunch of nightmares including an abandoned potato baby so have concluded that tapas before bed is a bad idea...



The Verdict:
Yes.Yes. Yes. I did add a small sweet but not overly spicy chili but this was really good. Really light, really flavorful and really summery. I had it in a toasted wrap with some yoghurt and it was absolutely delicious. I say this a lot but one of the best tapas I've had so far. I skipped on the oil and used water to cook and then make the sauce so it was super light and healthy too. Reminded me of an incredible lemon lentil soup I had in Istanbul which was one of the best meals I ever had.

Taste :      4.5/5   Yes!

Time  :      4/5      15  Minutes

Visual :      4/5     Picture Does No Justice
Magic :      4/5     Yes.

35 - Catalan Tapas II

 Gambas Pil Pil - King Prawns With Chili, Garlic and Vanilla

I was sold on these because as well as chili and the usual suspect spices this dish contained vanilla, which sounds like a winning combination. This was really tasty but you needed to get a lot of the spices heaped onto it to get the benefit of the flavours. The oily soup around it smelt incredible though and would of worked as the basis of a tom yum soup and the vanilla did add a lovely sweet hint to it.

Taste : 4/5

Cost : 3.5/5

Speed of Service: 4/5

Magic : 3/5

34 - Catalan Tapas

Another Tapas adventure. This one was a Catalonian restaurant attached to a deli so was pretty excited to see what they would have. The menu was insane and extensive though I did ignore the "Mackerel Conception" described as : Mackerel semen and eggs on toast. They've also taken a leaf out of Jamie Oliver's book by finding a plank. 

Pulma Iberica Spanish Acorn Fed Pork with Caramelised Onion and Roasted Shallot Puree
The deli bar restaurant though lovely was erratic with its service, there was some confusion with the staff and so when this arrived I'd no idea if it was actually the right order. It looked great though so after a few shifty glances around it was time to eat. The meat was tender and looked as dark as medium-rare beef. The puree was strangely nutty and had a light satay taste. This really was amazing. Not having eaten a lot of pork or red-meat in recent years I can say this was probably the best I've ever had.. possibly bar a South African steak I had over there which was something else. I have no idea if being acorn-fed made a difference but this sure was great. 
Taste: 4.5/5
Cost:   3.5/5
Speed of Service: 3/5
Magic: 4/5

33 - Fried Fava Beans [Habas Fritas]

More beans. How droll. Another wash of red and enough smokey ingredients to potentially make it interesting. We'll see. 

The Verdict:
Pretty good but pale in flavour if not colour in comparison with yesterdays. Which is surprising as this dish contains many ingredients I love. Overall though it was satisfying and filling but surprisignly bland. It smelt great though and the peppers were lovely and juicy. If paired with something more succulent this would probably be a winner. 

  Taste :      3/5      Dry and Smokey 

  Time  :      2.5/5   25  Minutes

 Visual :     3.5/5   Warm Tones

  Magic :     2/5     Expecting More

32 - Fava Beans and Mint [Las Habas Y Menta]

Today I have mainly been a walking corpse. I woke up in a deep sleep after being more physically exhausted than I have been in a while feeling like a blind, frantic baby mole. Somehow I got to work and back again and even the fear of awaiting a job rejection/ confirmation cant keep me nervous enough to be human. Before I have an unheard of early night in the safe land of bed I made this. I even forgot to take a picture of the ingredients before making so you'll have to take my shattered words that there were some....

The Verdict:
Oooohhhh this is actually really good. The wine and mint make a lovely sauce with the onion making it sweet and rather refreshing. I added some rosemary to the recipe and this tasted great. I wasn't expecting it to be this nice and was pleasantly surprised how much like a risotto it tasted. Good O. Night night.

Taste :      4/5       You Bet

Time  :      2.5/5    25  Minutes
Visual :      3/5       Could Be Prettier
Magic :      4/5       Secretly Great

31 - Peruvian Tapas Part II

An unexpected night in a hostel and a quick outfit purchase later and I was still in London having a trial day as a runner in Soho. It really was a great day despite the difficulty of trying to find a pair of pinking shears for under £30...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something will come of it but in the meantime its back to Peruvian Tapas

Corazon Mio. Tender beef heart marinated in panca chilli anticuchera sauce with choclo corn. The traditional meat to use here is Ox heart, which after marinating and grilling has a wonderfully firm and tender texture.
The Verdict: Apparently this a very traditional Peruvian dish which I was recommended to try. Surprisingly juicy and tender this tasted more like slices of medium rare beef and was damn good. The sauce was something else and the whole dish was flavourful and filling without feeling overly heavy. 
Taste: 4/5
Cost: 2.5/5
Speed of Service : 5/5

Magic: 3/5

After a busy trip I decided to unwind with a cocktail. This one appealed because of the lavender. Black Butterfly : Lavender infused pisco with English blueberries and wild nettle cordial. Black Butterfly is the name of a film by famous Peruvian film director Francisco Lombardi. This drink was insane. It tasted as it smelt and it smelt of lavender. Really aromatic, quite oldfashioned and pleasant to sip however more than one could be dangerous and overbearing. 

30 - Peruvian Tapas Part I

Hello London. 
So after anticipating one day in the big smoke amazingly it's turned into two. After the most nerve wracking interview I've ever had it was time for tapas. It's not from the book and I didn't make it so is that cheating? Who knows. I did rationalise though that if I'm not making it myself then I should at least choose things which I can't make, either through lack of skill or ingredients. I stumbled across this lovely restaurant where I befriended a retired business analyst and an illustrator waiter who assisted me with the tapas choices. The restaurant was a Peruvian tapas bar called Cerviche in soho and boy was it tasty... 

1. Tequeños wanton fritters filled with Chifa style chicken and vegetables, cheese, chard and Botija olives.
The Verdict: Oh wow. These are good. Kind of like a deep fried fajita. The pastry was more robust than a chinese crispy roll which gave it a gorgeous crunchy texture They came with a yummy honey mustard dipping sauce and were eaten very very quickly.
Taste: 4.5/5
Cost: 3/5
Speed of Service : 4/5
Magic: 4/5

2. Pulpo y Chorizo : Marinated and braised Octopus and Chorizo skewer, with a samphire and black Quinoa salad.
The Verdict: While really rather good, this was an odd combination of meat and textures, although odd it worked but I do have to say that I'm officially all Chorizo'd out after this. 
Taste: 3.5/5
Cost: 2.5/5
Speed of Service: 4/5
Magic: 3/5