TAPAS...Tomato, Basil with Goat Cheese

[Xabia Jim]

Thanks James, I believe that we can come up with some nice appetizer recipes.....

Tapas, or toppings are the little Spanish dishes that you can enjoy as an appetizer with a drink or have a few to make a meal. It's a tradition in Spain that started with a tapa (topping) on top of your drink, vino o cerveca....anyway they came with a few almonds, a few olives, a few apricots...whatever they had available....and they were free....(with the drink)

Okay, that's harder to find now but this week we had a plate of nuts at one place and a plate of potatoe chips served at another with our red wine. That's a tapa. Now they're an institution the world over....

Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese is an easy and delicious recipe, as promised:

You can prepare the tomato base ahead of time, add it to a dish with a slice of goat cheese in the middle and grill it in your wood oven until the cheese is melted/toasted. Serve on toast points.

Sauce: (Approximate proportions!! ....for two to three tapas)
6 +/- peeled tomatoes(roma work nicely), diced
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 t herbs de provence
1/4 cup fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee to reduce liquid so it's not watery...about 10 minutes. (We make a lot of the sauce ahead of time and it keeps okay in the refrigerator for another tapa)

Prepare toast points by slicing a baguette and toasting the slices. Butter with garlic butter (ali oli). These are served with the dish after roasting.

Place a hot layer of the tomato basil mixture in a small low sided terra cota dish (6") and place a slice of goat cheese in the middle. (the sauce is about 1/2 inch thick and the goat cheese is too) Place under a grill or in your wood oven under a nice flame until the goat cheese is golden brown and bubbily...sprinkle with some fresh sliced basil.

Serve with the toast points and a spoon. Goes on the toast points and disappears quickly....

Definately a crowd pleaser...have more for the second round!

Salut.

Pictures to follow....

[samslack]

Wow you have just made my day. I had this dish at my wedding There is only a few restaurants here that actually serve this. I have been searching for this recipe for over a year. Multiple trips to bookstores and libraries turned up nothing.


Thank you thank you thank you.

[Xabia Jim]

When was the wedding??

Hope you didn't have to wait too long

[samslack]

Well it was in 2002. I actually made your recipe a week ago and it was exactly the same

Thanks again!