Gambas al Ajillo - AKA: Garlicky Tapas Heaven (in minutes!)

Ever walk by an Italian restaurant or pizza place and pause a moment to smell the intoxicating aroma of warm garlic? I sure have, and if you ask me, there's nothing really like it. Where garlic is concerned, the more the better - and who cares about garlic breath, anyway? I consider it a bonus. That's why when I was recently jonesing to put together a quick tapa as an al fresco appetizer (summer is here!), I stopped right at this drool-worthy Garlic and Shrimp combination: Gambas al Ajillo or Shrimp with Garlic, Spanish style. 

Gambas al Ajillo, The Garlicky Tapa That Everyone Loves, Photo: NK 

Gambas al Ajillo can be found all over Spain and really anywhere where tapas are served. It doesn't get more classic than this garlicky to the max dish. And when you see how fast this delicious tapa comes together,  you'll be completely smitten. It is almost too easy. And the taste, oh the taste - just luscious. A nice kick of spice from the Crushed Red Pepper and smoky complexity from Spanish Paprika - one of my favorite spices that is also responsible for the striking reddish color of the shrimp sauce, make an amazing flavor combo. Be certain to buy yourself a nice loaf of rustic peasant bread to soak up the garlicky oil goodness at the bottom of the bowl. Now sit yourself down with a a nice dry white or rose and enjoy the king of all tapas. You will not be disappointed!


Gambas al Ajillo / Spanish Garlic Shrimp Tapa
Lightly adapted from About.com (topic: Spanish Food)
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
24 Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
5 large Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Sweet Spanish Paprika
3 Ounces of Cognac (or substitute Dry Sherry or Bourbon)
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup chopped Italian Parsley
Juice of 1 Lemon 
1 round, crusty Peasant Loaf, cut into large chunk and lightly toasted
Coarse Salt
Black Pepper

Note: this is a fast cooking recipe so be sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready to roll before you start. 

Method: 
1. Heat Oil over a medium flame for a minute and add the minced Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper. Stir gently for about 2 minutes, taking care that the Garlic doesn't burn. 
The mixture will become fragrant. 

2. When the Garlic becomes just slightly brown, add the Shrimp, Lemon Juice, Cognac (or substitute) and Paprika. Raise the flame to high and stir constantly until the Shrimp become pink and curl up. About 2 more minutes.

3. Season the mixture with one or two healthy pinches of Salt, and ample Black Pepper. 
To Serve: Plate equal portions on Shrimp into individual bowls and add some of the Garlic and Oil Mixture on top. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped Parsley and serve with a generous wedge of crusty toasted Bread.

Enjoy! 

The Ultimate in Easy Starters - Pan con Tomate

Labor Day is almost here and even though we have a big bash planned, we are, as always, keeping things simple.  For our holiday weekend barbecue, we'll be serving up a traditional Spanish tapa to kick off our meal - Pan con Tomate. Pan con Tomate means bread with tomato, and that's really almost all there is to it. Extremely ripe tomatoes are grated into a pulp and put atop crusty slices of a toasted bread that have been liberally rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. 

Grating the Tomatoes, Photo: NK

Basic though it may be, Pan con Tomate also happens to be insanely delicious - so much so that you really can't fathom just how good it it is until you try it for yourself. The tips below will help you to put this under-five-ingredient and absolutely to die for appetizer together with ease. 

TIPS:

To make a stellar Pan con Tomate, be sure to get yourself some really fantastic bread. I think that a large, round peasant loaf sliced about a 1/2 inch thick is the best bet because it toasts up very light and easy to bite while the crust maintains its crispiness. We like to use Eli's brand. 

Finally, the recipe hinges on having very ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Really any type of larger tomato will do, but beefsteaks have been especially flavorful this summer. A nice drizzle of good quality, fruity extra virgin olive oil is also important, as is a dusting of kosher salt. 

Pan con Tomate, Photo: NK

Serve up these toasty slices of garlic and tomato-ey goodness and watch as your guests gobble them up. It's hard to say just what makes these so good, but the fact that they are incredibly easy to makes them all the more wonderful. I hope you enjoy this dish as well as all the compliments it's sure to get you! 

Pan Con Tomate

Serves 4 

Recipe Courtesy of Saveur

Ingredients: 
1-2 very ripe tomatoes sliced in half (ideally beefsteak variety)

About 8 Slices of bread sliced 1/2 inch thick (ideally a round peasant loaf) 

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

2 Cloves Garlic, each sliced in half

Kosher Salt 

Method:

Over a box or handheld grater set over a bowl, rub tomato halves until all the pulp is grated and only the skin remains. 

Lightly toast the slices of bread until crispy and slightly golden.

Rub the tops of each slice with a half clove of garlic. Press hard to be sure the garlic is transferred onto the entire surface of each slice (the crispiness of the bread will aid in the transfer). 

Next, drizzle slices with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Liberally spoon tomato pulp over toasts and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve immediately and enjoy!