Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Tapas Challenge, Take 2


Although the tapas challenge we did last week was an overwhelming success, we decided we wanted to fix a few shortcomings from last week’s challenge, as well as do a few more tapas that were weren’t originally able to do. In that vein, we decided to make a drier, crispier version of Papas Bravas, opting to pre-season the potatoes this time rather than coating them in a spicy tomato sauce. Also, we wanted to try our hand at veganizing the Tortilla Espanola, just to see if we could.

Finally, we wanted to do a simple stuffed mushroom recipe, reminiscent to the ones served at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. However, while researching recipes, we found another stuffed mushroom recipe that was nothing like what we were aiming for, but still looked delicious! Since 4 recipes is an even number, we decided to try making both!

Recipes of everything to follow! Stay tuned! For now, here are some summaries of what we did and how they turned out....


Vegan Tortilla Espanola
Holy Moly! Our non-vegan version was definitely the hit last week, and the vegan version definitely lived up to the same standards! We even RE-made the non-vegan tortilla to compare the vegan one to, and it was amazingly similar! Our friends had a hard time distinguishing which was which, both in terms of appearance as well as taste!


Papas Bravas, a drier version
The Papas Bravas we made last week turned out a bit mushier than we would have liked. This week’s rendition of it was very delicious, and I couldn’t stop eating them! My only complaint was the appearance, as some of the spices appeared to burn on the outside of the potatoes.


Spinach and Manchengo Stuffed Mushrooms
The spinach-manchengo mushrooms were very delicious and savory. It’s a shame, though, since I’m not that sure they were very diet-friendly, considering how much butter and cheese went into them! I guess they’re not that bad for you if you only have them from time to time!


Sun-Dried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms
These mushrooms also turned out well, but only after the second day. Right when they were made, they lacked a bit of flavor. However, after letting the flavors soak overnight, they were much better as leftovers the next day! If we ever wanted to serve these at a party, we would definitely have to change how they were made, so that they would be up to our standards for our guests.

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