Seduced by tapas: Americans find Spanish sensation irresistible

It's nighttime in Madrid, and you may hope to hear great flamenco music or to find a hidden restaurant gem. But you'll probably also join in the nightly stroll: tapas-hopping, or wandering from one tasca, or bar, to the next, enjoying a glass of beer or wine and an order or two of tapas.

Tapas, or "little plates," are Spain's national culinary passion--and maybe the Spanish version of fast foods. Glorified snacks, these little plates incorporate the best from the Spanish kitchen. Common offerings include oil-marinated olives, wedges of crusty bread brushed with crushed tomatoes, slices of potatoes cooked with eggs and olive oil, garbanzo beans tossed with green peppers or eggplants grilled and drizzled with olive oil. The choices and possibilities seem endless, and as a result, in Spain, this rustic, lusty and flavorful fare is just as welcome in country pubs as it is in big-city bars.

Why else has eating tapas become a Spanish pastime and pursuit? Besides being plentiful and served up fast, tapas are both wholesome and very versatile: They may be hot or cold, souplike or firm finger foods, savory or sweet. As Spanish chef Jose Andres says, tapas can be any food served in small portions--there are no rules. Andres should know: As executive chef of two tapas restaurants named Jaleo--both located in the Washington, DC, area--he has almost single-handedly popularized the tapas concept in the nation's capital. And as a result of his local success story, he won the James Beard Foundation's award for American Express Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Region in 2003.

According to legend, the first tapa may have been created purely by accident. One story goes that a tasca owner used a chunk of bread--or it may have been a slice of ham--to cover a wineglass to keep out the dust (tapar means to cover or to top).

Whatever its origins, the tapas tradition has become an indispensable part of daily Spanish life. Congregating to enjoy tapas offers friends and colleagues the chance to eat, to drink wine and to socialize--starting at midday and continuing on into the night. Besides, tapas are best eaten in groups, giving both cook and patron a chance to appreciate innumerable dishes with many different flavors, textures and colors.

As Andres points out, many other countries throughout the Mediterranean offer a tapaslike tradition, serving mezes, or hors d'oeuvres. The tapas idea is gradually catching on in the United States, too, with some bars offering tapas-type snacks and with tapas eateries opening up in several cities.

For people who love food, tapas is all about flavor and the joys of eating. "For me," says Andres, "tapas is more than bar food presented on small plates. Tapas is a way of enjoying life through sharing good moments and tastes with friends. It is the epitome of Spanish living."

Ensalada de Piquillos y Naranjas (Salad of Piquillo Peppers and Oranges)

SERVES 6

Red piquillo peppers come from the Basque region of Spain. If necessary, you can substitute roasted red peppers cut into sections.

Sherry Dressing

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
Salt to taste

Ensalada de Piquillos y Naranjas

24 Bibb lettuce leaves (4 leaves per
  serving)
Sherry Dressing to taste
18 piquillo peppers (3 per serving)
18 onion rings (3 per serving)
36 orange segments (6 per serving)
Salt to taste
Roasted Garlic Dressing to taste
  (see p. 71 for recipe)
1/2 cup chopped chives

1. To make Sherry Dressing: Mix all ingredients
in bottle, and shake to combine well.

2. To make Ensalada de Piquillos y Naranjas:
Put lettuce leaves in mixing bowl, and
toss with Sherry Dressing. Place piquillo
peppers, lettuce, onion rings and oranges
on each plate, and season with salt.

3. Drizzle Roasted Garlic Dressing on top
and around plates. Sprinkle with chives,
and serve.

PER SERVING: 300 CAL; 4G PROT; 22G TOTAL FAT (3G SAT. FAT); 25G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 15MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 16G SUGARS

Garbanzos con Espinacas al Estilo de Tichi (Garbanzos with Spinach in the Style of Tichi)

SERVES 6

This traditional dish is a Moorish stew made from chickpeas and spinach with pureed onion paste thickening the stew. Although using dried chickpeas is preferable, you can speed preparation of this dish by using about 3 cups cooked canned beans when adding onion puree in Step 2.

1/2 lb. dried chickpeas, soaked in
  water overnight
1 head garlic
1 bay leaf
2 medium-sized onions, 1 whole and
  1 diced
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil,
  preferably Spanish
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 lb. spinach, cleaned and stemmed
Salt to taste
4 slices baguette, toasted and
  trimmed into rounds

1. Drain chickpeas, and put into a saucepan
with water to cover, adding garlic, bay leaf,
and a whole onion. Cook over medium
heat for about 1 hour, keeping chickpeas
always covered with water; until chickpeas
are tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over
medium heat, and saute diced onion until
soft, for about 5 minutes. Add tomato,
paprika and cumin, and saute for 2 minutes
to incorporate flavors. Remove from heat
and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Put onion mixture into blender, and
process until smooth. Add blended mixture
to chickpeas. Continue cooking until
chickpeas are very, very soft.

3. Add spinach, and cook until spinach
turns a darker green and wilts. Add salt to
taste. Place in a bowl, garnish with toast
rounds and serve.