Product Description

Both modern and traditional, tapas is a uniquely Mediterranean phenomenon that has captured the culinary imagination of cultures across the world. Healthy and nutritious, the traditional Spanish way of eating combines the flavours of the distinct regions of Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean with increasingly exotic influences, from neighbouring Africa and Europe, including Greece, Turkey and France as well as Tunisia. "100 Great Tapas" includes fish and vegetable dishes, along with meat, couscous, lentils and spiced dips, each perfectly complementing each other. With the emphasis on light, colourful and flavourful dishes, served in succession, tapas is both a healthy and a sociable way to dine, perfect for those long, summer evenings, or drawn out family occasions spent at home. Best served with lashings of wine or chilled Spanish sherry, tapas is the perfect food to serve for guests, ideally suited for quick, delicious al fresco or after work dining, and can be prepared as it is eaten - between conversations - most of the dishes being easy to prepare and cook. They can be served as main courses or appetizers with a rich variety of intense flavours and textures. With easy-to-follow instructions and clear, practical photographs, "100 Great Tapas" shows you how to make traditional and contemporary Spanish appetisers for the home, or for your own bar or establishment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282043 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Real Magazine
Let its pages whisk you away from the dreary British winter to a
balmy evening in Spain.

About the Author
Pippa's passion for food and cooking began at a young age. With degrees in both Human Nutrition and Food Science, New Zealand born Pippa has gone on to build a successful career in London as a food stylist and home economist. Her Antipodean drive for travel and adventure has led her to explore many countries, nationalities and local cuisines. Simple, fresh food that uses seasonal ingredients and a social, interactive way of eating is what Pippa enjoys most about Spanish tapas.

Customer Reviews

50 50- but some phenomenal dishes
Based on my sample of recipes, this passed as a book to keep and reliable enough to always give you something to eat which was well thought out, and occasionally meals that are utterly stunning. I'm sure the meaties will find something good as well.
I'm on a quest to try out vegetarian tapas recipes. ( 48 of the 100). This includes dips, breadsticks, pastry, individual descriptions of roasted vegetables (and a recipe for the delightful membrillo- a jelly like quince paste, fantastic with cheese). There's no introduction of more interesting ingredients, so you're on your own.
So, after trying out a handful of random recipes- here's my general impression- some dishes are way out phenomenal, and some are just so so. The phenomenal ones mean that the book is a keeper until I have exhaustively divvied up the ratio. The recipes don't always feature Spanish ingredients-(halloumi from Cyprus?!)

So....Andalusian fried olives- amazing- hot little olivey morsels! Breadcrumbed deep fried stuffed green olives "of your choice". However- I don't tend to buy stuffed olives on a regular basis- and I wasn't prepared for the fact that there would be some stones in them (my other half managed to get those) and the feta filling I picked was a bit wimpy in the supermarket marinade- next time I'll stuff my own from scratch.
Carrot, Haloumi and Harissa salad- just an ok. Similarly the instructions for Esclavida- a roast vegetable salad- lacked oomph- I tend to roast veg at a much higher temperature and get a much better flavour.
Spanish rice balls with melting manchego centres. I used paella rice as directed- not something I've tried before as I normally avoid white rice- but this was an incredible flavoursome variety. What I ended up doing was eating half of the mix as a simple paella and using up the rest for these incredible little balls. So really this would be better interpreted as something to use up leftovers.
Quail eggs with paprika sesame salt- my first trial of quail eggs (just to taste one time). The dip was utterly outstanding- a dry pan fried blend of sesame, cumin and coriander seeds with the magic ingredient - smoked paprika (Sainsbury's Special Selection shelves in a tin- worth it!).
Deep fried manchego cubes with mebrillo- a paste made of quince. An on a cocktail stick thing- beautiful- the only issue being that I could only get manchego from the deli counter and £5 gets you a small wodge, only a section of which has dimensions suitable to cut into cubes.