Tasty Sofrito Sauce Potatoes

This recipe was inspired by one of the newer sauces that we carry in the Gourmet Fusion store - our Rustic Spanish Sofrito Sauce. It makes a great side dish with steak, or fish, and is a simple appetizer or tapas.

Sofrito sauce is a tomato sauce that is often used as the base sauce in traditional paella. It is different to an Italian tomato sauce as it contains almonds which give it a subtle sweetness. Our recipe is simplicity itself, and tastes delicious.

Ingredients

• 1lb small potatoes (fingerling, or similar)
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons spanish sofrito sauce (to cover)
• parsley for garnish

Method

1. Steam the potatoes until just cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes.
2. Remove from steamer and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters, depending on their size, to make bite sized pieces.
4. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan for 2-3 minutes, then add the cooked potatoes.
5. Saute the potatoes for 2-3 minutes, and season with the salt and pepper.
6. Add the sofrito sauce to the potatoes, and gently heat.
7. When the sauce has heated through, serve in ramekins or cazuela dishes, and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Sofrito Sauce can be found in the Gourmet Fusion store at the Leaping Lotus, or in our online store.

This versatile sauce is also good as a base for pizza. Stop by the store for our gala on Thursday December 3rd and try some for yourself.

Tapas

Tapas, the traditional Spanish "small plates" have become increasingly popular throughout the US and Europe with tapas bars opening up in every major city, and it is easy to see why. In Spain drinking and eating automatically go together, and you always nibble on something if you stop by a bar or cafe for a drink. It can be a simple plate of olives, chorizo sausage and crisp loaf of bread, or something more elaborate that includes Spanish omelettes, shrimp and garlic, and potato salad.

These bite sized hors d'oeuvres are more than just appetizers, they provide a leisurely way to enjoy many different tastes and the companionship of friends - in other words the Spanish way of life. Wherever you are in Spain, tapas bars come alive in the early evening, in a tradition not unlike English pubs, and people socialize over food and drinks until it's time for dinner. Tapas date back many centuries when inn-keepers realized that by creating these bite-sized portions they could attract more people into their inns, and soon each began trying to create something better and different from his neighbor, resulting in a vast array of wonderful recipes.

So next time you invite friends over, why not do tapas and drinks at home? The recipe below is just one of the many from the fabulous book "Tapas" by Richard Tapper (seriously that is the author's name) and the hand-painted tapas dishes and traditional terra-cotta cazuelas pictured above are available in the Gourmet Fusion store.

Mushrooms with Bacon (Champinones con tocino)
Ingredients (serves 6)

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces diced tocino or bacon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb button mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method

1. In a frying pan over high heat, warm olive oil.
2. Add tocino and fry for 3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and mushrooms and stir well.
4. Add wine, salt, pepper and parsley and cook over high heat until most of the wine has evaporated and the mushrooms are cooked, 3-4 minutes. Serve hot.