FREE TO BE ME!
I love tapas! I love that tapas are creative, tasty food morsels that are meant to be delighted in and enjoyed in moderation (small portions), like wine. I love that you can have tapas at any time, breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner, ANYTIME! I love that tapas are meant to be savoured, with a drink and among good company. But what I love most about tapas is you have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of food choices in one sitting.
I’m just beginning to get creative in my tapas kitchen AND in my vineyard (Disclaimer: I don’t really have a vineyard other than the one in my imagination….) BUT it’s a very good vineyard, trust me. If you’ve read my book, Wine Within Your Comfort Zone, you already know how much of a wine lover I am and now my other secret is out, I’m a foodie too 🙂
Please join me on a journey within Marla’s Vineyard and Tapas!
Spanish omelette you say? I think NOT! Serve this to your breakfast guests as one smaller portioned breakfast sampler. I like to have two others, one before and one after. Fruit skewers with yogurt dip is a great starter for a breakfast tapas theme. And everyone loves potatoes so you could finish the meal with sweet potato latkes. (stay tuned as these recipes will be coming soon!)
Fire Roasted Tomato Pepper Egg-apas!
The roots of tapas are strongly linked to Spain however, in North America tapas are defined by their appetizer size, uniqueness, and can encompass all kinds of ethnic delights. With respect to the Spanish, it just made sense to begin with a breakfast tapas and no, this is not a Spanish omelette, although I’m sure some may argue this point. My eldest son calls the larger version of this, egg pizza. In my larger version I add a truck load of cheese turning it into more of a frittata.
I use a small, non-stick fry pan lightly coated in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil (keep in mind the smoke point of this oil is higher than most but you’ll be cooking on medium to med/low heat).
Want to learn more about Olive Oil?
http://www.thekitchn.com/did-you-know-a-lot-of-olive-oil-isnt-from-italy-207153
I do my best to create healthier, less fat versions of dishes so use one yolk and three egg whites, per one tapas all whisked together. Honestly, you won’t miss the other two yolks one eye-yolka!
You can vary the fillings to your liking but the key to tasty, light tapas is, “less is more”. This time I added a palmful of chopped red and green pepper along with sun-dried tomato turkey sausage. This is one of my favourite meat choices in this tapas. It is lean and very savoury however, not an easy find. You could also spice it up by using chorizo or any meat of your choice.
Start by heating the olive oil on medium. Add the peppers and pre-cooked meat. After a few minutes of sauteing add the whisked egg mixture. The heat should sear the bottom on contact but remember not to let it get overly hot. As it sets on the bottom lift the sides and tip the fry pan so the runny parts slide under and get cooked too. Doing this on all edges of the pan gives your tapas a peak and valley kind of appearance. Add your seasonings to taste such as, salt and pepper, cayenne, etc. Cover the tapas with a glass lid so you can watch the top cook and turn the heat down to low. If it isn’t cooked on top in 3 to 4 minutes remove the lid and gently flip the whole tapas over. It will only take a minute or too to set.
Once cooked place the tapas on a cutting board and let it cool a couple of minutes. Cut it into three or four equal triangles. Overlap each piece in the centre of the plate and top with fire roasted tomatoes (or salsa, but I prefer the fire roasted tomatoes, especially because the title of this recipe is Fire Roasted Tomato….). You can accompany your dish with garnish of Italian parsley to add flavour and pretty it up if you like. Also, slices of baguette alongside a light, spreadable cheese is a perfect accompaniment. (In the photo I used warmed whole grain sliders and boursin cheese).
Buen Apetito!
Rather than the usual breakfast mimosa, try this:
3 oz of light crisp white wine such as Barefoot Refresh from California
6 oz of soda water
lime juice to taste
Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!!
Ingredients
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 egg whites
1 egg yolk (no yolkin)
1 palmful of red and green peppers (about 1/4 C of each)
1 palmful of cooked, diced turkey sausage
fire roasted tomatoes (to your liking)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper….
Italian parsley and/or garnish of your choice
Warmest Regards
Marla O’Brien
Gramma Gaga 