Summer tapas board

Hot summer days call for long, lazy lunches

Foodie blogger, The Food and the Fabulous, shares a summer tapas recipe with us.

For a word that merely translates into ‘lids’ from Spanish, tapas has taken the world by storm. Originally a cover over a glass of sweet sherry, the humble tapa has evolved to include dim sum, fusion foods and practically anything edible that can be served as a little bite.

I think the heart of the tapas popularity lies in the fact that it’s food to share over drinks, as a starter or even as an entire meal consisting of several courses of small plates, spread out over several hours.

Here, I’ll show you how to make a basic tapas board to share and enjoy with friends over the rest of our balmy, Cape Town summer.

You can add more complex items to the board, like prawns in a spicy tomato gravy, squid and calamari salad and other smoked, cured meats. Adjust the quantities according to the number of guests.

Ingredients

Bread (breadsticks, baguette toasted and cut into slices, sourdough etc...)
50 ml olive oil (use more as needed)
One Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt

First the olives, I marinated mine in a mixture of ground coriander, cumin seeds and garlic, and covered with olive oil. It’s best to leave the mixture in the fridge to soak up flavours for a week.

Then, two large handfuls of Rosa tomatoes, halved and drizzled with olive oil and salt and baked for 30 to 40 min at 150-degrees celsius. Turn half-way during the cooking process.

Also on the board are cured meats or sausages.
Serrano ham is the classic Spanish choice. I used kudu salami from Prince Albert.

On my board I used figs, but you can also use grapes, watermelon, nectarine or mango slices. For the cheese I used Camembert, Manchego or other smoked cheeses would be the traditional choice.

Method

Prepare the olives a few days to a few weeks in advance for the best results. The tomatoes can be prepared an hour before serving or the day before. Add olive oil, balsamic and salt to a small bowl for dipping. Serve with the bread on a board or large platter. Arrange olives and tomatoes in bowls and add to the board. Slice meat, if not pre-sliced and arrange. Add cheese and figs. Serve with something ice-cold white wine.

Note from the editor, try Waterkloof’s Circumstance White.

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AC Hotel Cape Town has live music every Thursday and a weekly Sunday roast.

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