Tapas Fiesta: Pork Kebabs, Patatas Bravas, and Churros

Next up on our Spanish odyssey: pork kebabs (or pinchos murunos), patatas bravas, and churros with chocolate dipping sauce. All are surprisingly easy to make, the ingredients are inexpensive, and the pork kebabs and patatas bravas are naturally gluten-free!   

Pork Kebabs (Pinchos Murunos)

These are also ideal for barbecues but can easily be cooked under the grill. You will need bamboo skewers which are readily available from large supermarkets and cookware shops. 

Ingredients to serve 5-6 as part of a tapas feast: 

300g of pork tenderloin

2 tsps of cumin

2 tsps of smoked paprika

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 tbsp of olive oil 

Start by trimming the tenderloin of any sinew; there's usually one long sinew down the length, removing this will keep the meat tender and stop it from shrinking up during cooking. Then cut the tenderloin into cubes about 2cm square. 

Place the cubes of pork into a shallow dish and add the cumin, paprika, garlic, vinegar, and oil; mix all together so the pork is covered. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight to marinate. 

Soak the bamboo skewers in water before use so they don't burn whilst cooking; skewer 4 pork cubes onto each one. Place under a medium grill and turn occasionally until cooked, about 12-15 minutes. Serve hot on a plate in the middle of the table. 

Patatas Bravas with Chorizo

These potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce are a tapas staple and probably the easiest element of all to cook. 

Ingredients to serve 5-6 as part of a tapas feast: 

4 large white potatoes (King Edward or Maris Piper)

1 white onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1 tin of chopped tomatoes 

1 red chilli, finely chopped including seeds

1 tsp of hot paprika 

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

100g of chorizo, diced

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper

First peel and cube the potatoes and boil in salted water until soft; drain and put to one side to cool. 

Sweat the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft in a saucepan; turn the heat up to high, add the chorizo and fry until crisp. Add the chilli, tomatoes, paprika, vinegar and seasoning and simmer on a medium heat until the sauce is reduced and thick (around 10-15 minutes). 

Remove the sauce from the heat and add in the potatoes; mix until the potatoes are covered in the sauce. Serve in a large bowl, either hot or cold, in the centre of the table.  

Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce 

Churros are a type of long doughnut but the batter is deceptively simple to make, easier than standard doughnut batter, and they can be whipped up in a matter of minutes to finish your tapas feast. 

Ingredients to serve 4-5 as part of a tapas feast: 

125g of self-raising flour (for gluten-free use GF self-raising flour) 

125g of plain flour (for gluten-free use GF plain flour) 

400ml of boiling water

1 litre of vegetable oil for frying 

100g of dark chocolate

50g of milk chocolate 

150ml of double cream

2 tsps of icing sugar 

1 tsp of cinnamon 

Start by making the chocolate dipping sauce; break the chocolate into chunks and add to the double cream in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally using a spatula until melted together and thick; remove the glass bowl from the pan and set aside. 

Mix the two flours together in a large bowl and gradually pour in the water, beating together with a large spoon; the mixture will be a soft, thick, sticky batter. Heat the oil to 180c in a saucepan using a thermometer (or use a deep-fat fryer if you have one). Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with either a round or star nozzle attached; being careful of the hot oil pipe an 8-10cm length of the batter into the oil and snip off using a pair of scissors. It's best to do this in batches of 4-5 at a time otherwise the churros will clump together in the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden then remove with a metal spoon or frying basket; place onto kitchen paper to dry. 

When all the batter has been fried into churros place them all onto a large plate. Mix the icing sugar and cinnamon and tip into a small sieve; sprinkle over the top of the churros generously. 

Serve hot in the centre of the table with bowls of the chocolate sauce for everyone to dip into. The churros will be crispy on the outside but soft and chewy in the middle! 

Tapas Fiesta - Pork and Cumin Meatballs and Ham Croquettes

Me tapas del corazon!* Creating a tapas feast does take a bit of time, but the methods are all really simple and the ingredients are pretty cheap. It's also really easy to change any of the recipes to gluten-free! 


*I heart tapas!

Pork and Cumin Meatballs 

Every tapas feast should have some little meatballs in a luscious sauce to mop up with bread. The ones I do are in a chilli tomato sauce but you can also do them in a creamy almond sauce instead; with my nut allergy I'm not going to demonstrate that this time!  

Ingredients to serve 5-6 as part of a feast: 


750g of pork mince
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Half a large white onion, finely diced
2 tsps of ground cumin
2 tbsps of fresh breadcrumbs (for gluten-free substitute for fresh GF breadcrumbs or dried soaked in a little water) 
1 egg, beaten
2 tins of chopped tomatoes 
1 red chilli, finely chopped 
1 tsp of hot paprika 
1 tsp of dried oregano 
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of cornflour, slaked in water
Olive oil


Start by putting the pork mince in a large bowl and breaking up the strands of meat using your hands; this is messy but feels oh so satisfying. This gives the meatballs a better texture and will help stop them falling apart during cooking. Add the onion, garlic, cumin and mix together, again using your hands is best. Then add the breadcrumbs and egg and mix again; these will bind the mixture together. 

I have such ridiculously chubby hands...

Then form the mixture into little meatballs using your hands to roll them; if there are bits of onion on the outside of the meatball try to push them into the middle. The meatballs should be about 2 tsps of mixture big. Place on a plate, cover in clingfilm, and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight; this will firm up the meat and help them keep their shape while cooking.

Place a frying or sauté pan with a little olive oil in onto a high heat and place the meatballs in to brown; try not to overcrowd the pan so you may have to do this in 2-3 batches depending on the size. Brown on all sides on a high heat then remove and place into a large casserole dish; browning adds flavour and will also prevent the meatballs from falling apart whilst cooking in the oven. 


Add the tomatoes, chilli, paprika, oregano, and seasoning to the meatballs in the casserole dish and mix together gently. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan and put the casserole dish with the lid on in for 45 minutes. 


When done remove the dish from the oven and stir in the cornflour to thicken. Serve hot in a large bowl in the centre of the table for everyone to dig in! 

Ham Croquettes


An early warning - making these will be messy. The traditional British croquette is made with mashed potato but the Spanish version uses a thick white sauce instead; they're much lighter and creamier as a result. 


Ingredients to serve 5-6 as part of a feast:


200g of cooked ham, diced 
Half a large onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed 
4 tbsp of plain flour (for gluten-free substitute this for GF plain flour or cornflour)
200ml of milk 
1 tsp of smoked paprika
2 eggs, beaten 
50g of dried breadcrumbs (for gluten-free substitute this for GF breadcrumbs or dried polenta) 
Salt and pepper
1 litre of vegetable oil for frying 
Olive oil


Start by sweating the onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a saucepan. Add the flour and mix over the heat for a couple of minutes until the flour has soaked up the oil and is combined with the onion and garlic. Pour in a couple of tbsps of the milk and beat together using a wooden spoon over the heat to form a thick paste; add the rest of the milk gradually, beating in as you go along. If the mixture goes a bit lumpy don't worry, just use a whisk to beat the lumps out. Heat the sauce over the medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens; you do need the sauce to be really thick so this may take a few minutes. 


Take the sauce off the heat and add the ham, paprika, and seasoning and mix together. Pour into a shallow dish, cover in clingfilm, and leave in the fridge for at least two hours but ideally overnight; this will firm up the sauce and make it the right consistency for rolling into croquettes. 

Once chilled remove the dish from the fridge and cut the sauce with a knife into 12 equal pieces. Set out two bowls; one with beaten egg and another with the breadcrumbs, and also a plate to put the croquettes onto. Take a portion of the sauce from the dish and use your hands to roll into shape, ideally you should aim for a croquette-like barrel but I could only effectively do spheres! Submerge fully into the beaten egg and roll around (it's a log easier and less messy to use a fork to do this) then roll around in the breadcrumbs until fully coated. 


Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180c using a thermometer (or use a deep-fat fryer if you have one) then using a metal spoon or frying basket gently lower the croquettes into the oil one at a time. It's best to do them in batches of 3 so to not overcrowd the pan. Cook for around 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy. 


Dry on kitchen paper and then serve on a plate in the middle of the table. It's best to allow them to cool down a little before serving as they can be molten hot inside! 

Tapas Fiesta!

It's tapas time! 

I love cooking and eating tapas; it's truly one of my favourites. I've been privileged enough  to be able to sample authentic tapas in Madrid, in a bar filled with locals and formica tables. It was awesome. 

I know it's a bit faddy and trendy but I adore 'small plates' cuisine; like tapas, anti-pasti, mezze, etc. The variety of the food really appeals to my taste buds, as does the friendliness of everyone tucking in to different dishes in the middle of the table. 

On Saturday we're having some of our favourite people over for a tapas fiesta; with tapas, drinks, and laughs. 

I've spent quite a lot of time planning the menu because I wanted to make it a bit more than basic but not too expensive to create, and with some yummy vegetable accompaniments for my BFF (who loves a bean). 

And here's the finished article (in my dodgy Espanol...)

Results and photos on Friday/Saturday!