Tapas, Seasonal Eating and Lemon Loveliness!

I love a new food experience and last week I partook of Tapas for the first time.  ;o)  I'd never had Spanish food, mainly because the opportunity had never presented itself but also because I've always thought I probably wouldn't like it!  Now I know better.  ;o)  I went to a La Tasca in Edinburgh with my lovely friend, Elizabeth.  Not knowing much about the subject we elected for one of the set menus which consisted of eight dishes to share:

Tortilla Española

Spanish-style omelette with potato and onion.

Albóndigas a la Jardinera

La Tasca’s beef & pork meatballs, served in a tomato sauce

Pollo Marbella

Chicken breast cooked with paprika, chorizo, peppers, onion and a white wine & cream sauce

Croquetas de Pollo

Chicken croquettes, with roasted garlic mayonnaise

Chorizo Frito al Vino

Spicy Spanish sausage, flavoured with paprika, garlic and herbs, sautéed in red wine.

Gambas Pil Pil

Six king prawns, sizzling in a chilli-&-garlic-infused oil.

Paella Valenciana

Paella with chicken breast and mixed seafood.

Patatas Bravas

Fried potato, with a spicy tomato sauce.

Berenjenas Gratinadas

Fresh aubergine, baked in a tomato, garlic & wine sauce, topped with Cheddar cheese.

Ensalada Verde Mixta

Fresh baby spinach, lamb’s lettuce and baby gem, with avocado, cucumber and onion.

Preceding all that lovely yumminess was:

Pan de Barra Catalán

Fresh bread served with two dipping oils:
Catalán – a tomato & oil dip; picada – a garlic & herb oil
 
and
 
Aceitunas Mixtas

Mixed Spanish olives, marinated in extra-virgin olive oil, herbs, lemon and sweet pimento peppers.

And to wash it all merrily on it's way:

Fruity-Fizz Sangría

Extra-fruity sangría, with orange liqueur, peach schnapps, brandy and fresh orange slices, mixed with cava.

I have to say, I enjoyed every dish that we had!  ;o)  I think my favourites were probably the Pollo Marbella and the Croquetas de Pollo.  The sangria was a new experience too and, my word, that goes straight to your head doesn't it?  ;oD  Staggering along to the station to catch the last train back to Lockerbie I was questioning my decision to drink but it was good fun!  lol  I'm a recent convert to olives - having loathed them for many years I recently tried them again and mysteriously I like them now!  I don't know if I'm just more open to new flavours nowadays or it's hormonal or what but my tastes have definitely been changing over the last couple of years.  Suddenly I love lots of things I've always disliked and a whole new avenue of flavoursome adventures has opened up to me!  ;o)  

I am a big fan of seasonal eating and I loathe that everything is available all year round, it's just not right! Now, if ever there was a case to be made for seasonal eating then surely the first plumptious English strawberries of the season is it?  I had my first strawberries of this year a couple of days ago and they were just deliciously fabulous, why would anyone want to miss that taste bud tingling annual moment by eating the disappointing tasteless specimens wheeled in from sunnier climes all year round??  And if it needs seconding, what about the firsts of asparagus, new potatoes, rhubarb, parsnips?  Come on, guys, eat seasonally!  Check out Eat the Seasons!  Ok, hopping down off my soapbox now....

To finish off my post a little baking... remember I made some luscious lemon curd the night before I went away?  Well, this week when the baking urge was upon me I made some little plain cakes, sliced the tops and treated them to a goodly dollop of the aforementioned lemon curd each then topped with lemon icing and little lemon slices.  ;o)