Spanish Tapas

Crab & Cheese Pastries
Empanadillas
(Makes 18 pieces)

Delicious little flakey packets of creamy crapmeat. They're impossible to resist (see sidebar).

6 scallion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. oil
1/2 lb. lump or backfin crabmeat (see sidebar)
8 oz. goat cheese
1/4 C Italian flat-leaved parsley (chopped)
2 sheets filo dough (thaw according to package
    instructions)

Filling: saute scallion, garlic, and paprika 5 minutes, just enough to release flavor. In a medium bowl mix remaining ingredients (except filo) and add sauteed scallions and garlic.

Filo:* preheat oven to 400. Trim both (thawed) sheets to make 12” x 12” squares. Cut each square into nine 4” squares. You will have 18 squares in all. On a lightly floured surface, position a square on the counter like a diamond, with bottom tip pointing toward you.*

Assembly: place a small spoonful of filling just above the center; fold up bottom tip to meet top tip. You now have a triangle with the base toward you, and the tip away from you. Make a smaller triangle by folding over left tip to meet right tip. Crimp edges closed with your fingers and a bit of water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

* While working with 1 filo square, cover others with moist towel or plastic to prevent them from drying out.

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Tips & Glossary

Tapas are a cultural phenonemon in Spain (and now the world). Spaniards eat dinner quite late, so these small plates of food, served in local bars and taverns, fill the gap between lunch and dinner. Families and friends circulate between tapas bars to socialize and taste these delicious treats.

When entertaining Spanish-style, do as the Spaniards do—load up your table with small plates of savory tapas. We’ve included plenty of recipes to help you out.

Chili Peppers: any small, hot pepper (as opposed to larger, milder bell peppers). Spain’s habanero is the hottest pepper known, while the piquillo (pee-kee-yo) is intensely sweet. Serranos, originally from Mexico, are also used in Spanish cooking.

Crabmeat: sweet, nutty-flavored meat from the body, legs or claws of numerous varieties of crab. Most prized is jumbo lump from the hind leg. For crab dips and fillings, use regular lump, or finback from the body. Buy it fresh if you can.

Empanadillas: (em-pan-a- dee-yas), any raw or cooked filling wrapped in a dough and baked in the oven or over an open fire; a culinary treat that dates back to at least medieval times.

Mussels: buy only mussels that are tightly closed, never open, chipped or broken. When you get them home, unwrap them so they can breathe and keep them cool before you use them. You don’t want them to die before cooking.

Pinchos: (Pinxtos) Basque-style tapas, served on bread slices, with a toothpick (or "spike"–pinchos in Spanish) to hold the topping in place.

Queso: cheese! Manchego is Spain’s most famous cheese, a semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese from La Mancha region. Delicious served as tapas: thinly sliced and topped with a slice of quince paste, like cranberry jelly.

Roasted peppers: buy or make your own: place peppers under a broiler, or hold over a gas flame, till skin chars and blisters. Place in a closed paper bag for 15-20 minutes (to steam them). When cool enough to handle, the skins will slip off under running water.

Saffron: the most expensive spice in the world, from the crocus plant cultivated in Iran and Spain. Along with its unusual taste, it adds a deep rich yellow color to food. Use a strand or two at a time and soak in warm water before using.

Serrano ham: “mountain” ham; dry-cured Spanish ham, served raw in paper-thin slices. It’s similar to Italian Prosciutto.