Basque: Pintxos (French/Spanish Tapas)
Recipe by Paul Young <info@cooking-with-paul.com>
(serves many)
Ingredients:
- Crostini (toasted baguette)
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Mayonnaise
- Garlic butter (minced garlic sauteed briefly in butter)
- Roasted garlic (whole garlic clove drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and baked in oven for about an hour at 450 degrees)
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Roasted peppers
- Hard boiled eggs, halved
- Garlic shrimp (peeled and deveined raw shrimp sauteed butter and garlic)
- Seared scallops (grill scallops in ghee, add minced garlic at the last moment)
- Mushroom caps (sauteed in butter, then filled with garlic butter)
- Peppadew peppers and/or cherry tomatoes
- Ham (Jamón ibérico or Prosciutto preferred)
- Sweet pickled garlic
- Sausage, sliced (Spanish chorizo preferred)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Chopped parsley, grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Possible stacking order of goodies (from top to bottom):
Top layer | Peppadew peppers | Sweet pickled garlic, ham | Sausage (chorizo), cherry tomatoes |
Main layer | Shrimp | Scallops | Mushroom caps |
Bottom layer | Sun dried tomatoes | Roasted pepper | Hard boiled egg |
Dressing options | Roasted garlic, garlic butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise | ||
Bread | Crostini (toasted baguette) | ||
Procedure:
- Prep ingredients and arrange on a wood board or large platter
- Make the crostini: slice and brush baguette with olive oil, then broil in oven (just one side is okay)
- Spread dressing of choice on crostini (optional: sprinkle with grated cheese or chopped parsley)
- Poke a long toothpick or short bamboo skewer through the crostini (tip: make a small hole with a toothpick first to avoid breaking the toast)
- Add layers of goodies as desired (combine different flavors, textures, and colors)
- Provide small plates for self service