Traditional Vegetarian Tapas Recipes of Spain

Book excerpt: Tapas are a unique, ancient and delicious feature of Spanish traditional cuisine. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, ranging from a simple slice of bread and cheese, through hearty hot stews and soups, to elaborate and delicate, exquisitely presented gourmet canapés. Every region of Spain has its own favourites, often based on local products. Despite the preconception that Spanish food is dominated by meat and fish, the reality is that at least half of the traditional tapas recipes in Spain are in fact vegetarian. The author, Malcolm Coxall, a lifelong vegetarian and lover of Spanish gastronomy, has collected a delicious selection of traditional meatless tapas. As he says: "Just because you don't eat meat or fish, it doesn't mean you have to miss out on Spain's most famous food culture - the tapa. Indeed, the opposite is true; Spain has at least as many vegetarian tapas as there are with meat and fish ingredients. More than 3000 years of multi-cultural evolution in food preparation in Spain has given us one of the world's most inventive and diverse culinary traditions. The Muslim Moors, the Jews, the Christians and the "New World" all brought new radical ideas to agriculture and traditional cooking in Spain. In a country where meat is still often considered something of a luxury, meatless dishes are common. Tapas are no exception to this. So here we present just a tiny sample of the vast array of meatless tapas available in the country. Here we present a collection of 280 traditional vegetarian tapas recipes of Spain. Enjoy!" For this collection of recipes we have divided the book into the following chapters: Preface 1. Introduction 1.1 History of the Tapa 1.2 The "Tapas Culture" 1.3 Traditional Ingredients and Techniques 2. The Recipes 2.1 The Recipes - An Introduction 2.2 Tapas, Canapés and Montaditos with Bread and Toast 2.3 Pâtés 2.4 Pickles, Marinades, Jams, and Conserves 2.5 Soups, Creams, Sorbets, Purees, Porras, and Sauces 2.6 Potato Tapas 2.7 Croquette Tapas 2.8 Rice and Pasta Tapas 2.9 Tapas made with Beans, Nuts, Lentils and Chickpeas 2.10 Salad Tapas 2.11 Vegetable Tapas 2.12 Mushroom Tapas 2.13 Tortillas 2.14 Stews and Fricassees 2.15 Empanadas and Pies 2.16 Cheese Tapas 2.17 Sweet Tapas List of recipes - Spanish names List of recipes - English names