For our first cooking class in Spanish tapas we prepared paprika-spiced almonds, marinated olives, eggplant dip, a Spanish potato omelette known in Spain as a tortilla, fresh grilled tuna and two-bean salad, cheese and olive empanadas, rich chocolate cake and sangria to wash it all down with.

• almonds spiced with smoky Spanish paprika
  

  hot smoky Spanish paprika for the spiced almonds

paprika spiced almonds using the hot smoky paprika ‘Chiquilin: Pimentón Picante’.

• olives marinated in lemon, roasted red pepper and herbs
  

  olives in a lemon and roasted red pepper marinade

• eggplant dip served with toasts

• Spanish tortilla (a potato omelete, very different from Mexican tortillas)

• fresh grilled tuna and two-bean salad. The beans were large white beans from Spain and lightly cooked green beans. Other additions included almonds and cherry tomatoes, and it was served on romaine lettuce leaves. But the best part was the large handful of minced mint leaves that was added to the dressing for an intriguing flavour. Now I am so inspired to use mint in my cooking, I even rushed out and bought a ‘Moroccan’ mint plant, and am impatiently waiting for it to grow!

fresh grilled tuna and two-bean salad with mint dressing and a mint leaf garnish .

• cheese and olive empanadas

a plate of tapas including the cheese and olive empanada at the bottom

• and for dessert, rich chocolate cake

rich chocolate cake with a dusting of icing sugar on top…

And of course, what could be more Spanish than a glass of Sangría to wash it all down with? (For how to make Sangría).

The menu of our Spanish Tapas Class # 2