Healthy Spanish tapas

ZUCCHINI, FETA AND CHICKPEA BURGERS

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 cup drained tinned chickpeas
• 3 1/2oz feta, crumbled
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Batter

• 1 1/2oz chickpea flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Caramelized onions

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

To serve

• 12 parbake multigrain rolls
• 1/3 cup dill and cumin mayonnaise
• 1 beetroot, grated
• 2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1–2 handfuls baby spinach leaves

Method
Preheat oven to 430F.

Place grated zucchini in a bowl and mix in the chickpeas, feta, dill, mint and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl whisk the batter ingredients together until smooth. Gently fold through the zucchini mixture and set aside in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

To make the caramelized onions, heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add red onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown, 8–10 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and remove from the heat. Heat some of the olive oil in a large, preferably nonstick frypan on medium heat. When the oil is hot add a large ladle of the batter and zucchini mix and cook on each side for 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Toast parbaked bread rolls in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.

To serve, smear a tablespoon of the cumin mayonnaise on the base of the bun and top with the zucchini fritter. Top with grated beetroot, sliced tomato, spinach and caramelized onions.

MIGUEL’S SPANISH ARROZ NEGRO — BLACK RICE, CUTTLEFISH AND SHRIMP

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 5oz cleaned cuttlefish, scored and cut into 1in chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 1/2oz tomato purée
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 cup black rice stock
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup bomba rice
• 10 1/2oz cauliflower florets
• 9oz shrimp, peeled, tails left on

To serve

• Chives, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method Heat oil in a large frypan on medium to high heat. Add cuttlefish and cook for about 1 minute.

Add garlic, tomato purée and paprika and cook, stirring continuously for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Stir in black rice stock and water and bring to the boil. Evenly sprinkle in rice and cook for about 15 minutes, shaking the frypan occasionally (it’s important you don’t stir so the rice remains intact). Add a splash of water if the mixture is sticking and becoming too thick.

Scatter over the cauliflower and shrimp and continue cooking until cauliflower and rice are tender and shrimp are fully cooked through, a further 8–10 minutes. To serve, spoon rice, cuttlefish and shrimp into bowls. Garnish with chives and squeeze over lemon just before eating.

MIGUEL’S BEST STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH RADICCHIO AND PINE NUTS

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• 2 small onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 punnet cocktail truss tomatoes
• 2oz ligurian olives
• 1 punnet chives
• 1 punnet basil
• 3 1/2oz mozzarella
• 2oz parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

To Serve

• 1 pack (3/4oz) pine nuts
• 1/4 cup concentrated chicken stock
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup instant couscous
• Knob of butter
• 1 head radicchio
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 430F.

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Cut about 1/2in in from the edge and use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh so you have a 1/2in thick shell. Place onto an oven tray, cover with foil and bake for 15–20 minutes.

Roughly chop eggplant flesh. Finely chop onions and garlic. Cut tomatoes into quarters. Remove pits from olives and chop the flesh. Chop chives and basil. Grate mozzarella and parmesan.

Heat olive oil in a large frypan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, 4–5 minutes. Add eggplant, garlic and tomatoes and cook until soft, 3–4 minutes. Stir through olives, chives, basil and mozzarella.

Spoon filling into each eggplant shell. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Roast until cheese is golden, 5–8 minutes.

Place pine nuts onto another oven tray and roast until fragrant and lightly browned, 2–3 minutes.

Bring chicken stock and water to the boil in a small pot on high heat. Stir in couscous, remove from heat, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff up grains with a fork and mix through butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pull radicchio leaves apart and dress with extra virgin olive oil.

To serve, place an eggplant on each plate with couscous and radicchio salad on the side. Sprinkle over pine nuts.

FISH EN PAPILLOTE WITH CRISPY ROAST VEGETABLES

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 1/3lbs potatoes
• 1 beetroot
• 1–2 tbsp thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes

Fish en Papillote

• 4 pieces of 10in x 10in aluminum foil
• 4 pieces of 10in x 10in baking paper
• 1 1/2lbs fish fillets
• 1 carrot, julienned or thinly sliced
• 2–3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 1in ginger, peeled, julienned
• 4 tsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup fish stock
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 lemon, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 390F.

Line an oven tray with baking paper.

Cut the potatoes into 1-2in pieces and place to one side of prepared tray. Cut beetroot into 1-2in pieces and add to other end of tray (keep separate so thepotatoes stay white). Toss potatoes with thyme and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20–25 minutes turning once.

Place foil onto the bench and top with baking paper. Place a fish fillet into the center of each piece of paper and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Evenly divide carrots, scallions, zucchinis and ginger and place on top of each piece of fish, piling them up in the middle. Dot with 1 teaspoon butter per parcel. Bring up all sides of the paper and aluminum foil and evenly pour in fish stock and white wine. Scrunch the top together to fully enclose the fish and vegetables and place on a baking tray — it is important the fish and vegetables are fully enclosed so the juices don’t drip out.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until fish is just cooked through. Add cherry tomatoes to tray of roast vegetables and roast for a further 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cover to keep warm, or reheat if needed. To serve, place a fish en papillote onto each plate with roast vegetables on the side. Squeeze over lemon juice just before serving.

SPANISH BAKED EGGS AND BEANS WITH CRUSTY BREAD

Serves 2-3
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 tin pizza sauce
• 1 tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 4–6 eggs

To Serve

• Parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 6 bread rolls, cut in half

Method

Preheat oven to 390F.

Heat olive oil in a large frypan or a flameproof ovenproof pan on medium to high heat. Add onion and fry until golden, 3–4 minutes. Pour in pizza sauce and beans and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and continue simmering until heated through, 2–3 minutes. Either transfer mixture to ramekins (fill each about 2/3 full) and crack an egg into each, or crack the eggs into the ovenproof pan. Place into the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until egg whites are just set and yolks are still runny, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

While Spanish eggs are cooking, toast the buns in the oven for 3–4 minutes. Remove dish from the oven and sprinkle over cheese and parsley.

To serve, either serve a ramekin onto each plate, or spoon out some Spanish eggs and beans onto each plate and serve a bun on the side.

The author of these recipes, Miguel Maestre, is a Spanish master chef who began his professional cooking career at 21. After moving to Scotland and working his way up through the ranks at Indigo Yard and Montpelier’s restaurants in Edinburgh, he moved to Australia to open his own Spanish-inspired restaurant, El Toro Loco (The Crazy Bull) in Sydney.