I can’t believe I’ve written only one post on tapas while it is the sort of food that I cook very often and enjoy most – I’ll be cooking more of it as summer comes. That might be the reason why I don’t feel any significance of it, I guess? Scarcity drives up value?

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The annual Latin Fiesta was on about a month ago at Darling Harbour. I feel luck to live so close to all kinds of events, and I did even more over the festival period because I could had Spanish tapas bar set up at home and walked down to the water front for a dance and came back home and went dancing again. Eat n Drink n Dance, then Drink n Eat n Dance… *What a way to live!*

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Garlic Prawns & Salmon Croquette

I’ve been to all of the Spanish restaurants on Liverpool st, which is known as Spanish Quarter. I haven’t ventured out far enough to know good Spanish places outside the city, but I’ve been told that a Spanish restaurant in Surry Hills has been voted for the best. Well, that’s something I look forward to trying. Many people associate a Spanish restaurant with high price and small serving, which I agree. Obviously, it’s not a place for romantic dinner for couples, rather somewhere for social gatherings – somewhere to have fun. Most of the restaurants of the sort are pretty noisy and tables are so close to each other.

But there IS a Spanish place you could go to even for a nice dinner for two. It’s called ‘Miro Tapas Bar&Restaurant’ on Liverpool st, and it’s an underground place that can be easily missed if you don’t know where you are going. It’s a quite low key place with simple interior, not much to look at, but I think that also makes the place so welcoming and lovable. I first stumbled across this place a few months ago, and I’ve been back there many times with friends, but I haven’t heard anything bad said about the place yet. They seem rather surprised by the quality of food and such personal and attentive service, which can be missed out in busy, posh places.

latin-fiestaI’m not sure where my obsession with Latin culture, but I suspect that my love for Latin dance plays a big part when it comes to my Latino fever. :-P It’s social, romantic, fun and passionate AND it can be quite sensual and addictive! Talking about this reminds me to take a Latin dance class, which I’ve been putting off for so long that I don’t think I will have time for it before Christmas.

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My favourite menu at the restaurant include BBQ Chorizo with caramelised apple, calamari strips with pesto , BBQ portobella mushrooms with capsicum salsa, spinach sautéed with pine nuts& sweet cream sauce, tuna croquettes and plenty more. Of all, spinach and calamari dishes are those I order over and over again. But this post is my new recipe – smoked salmon croquettes with pumpkin and capers. How does that sound? As soon as I had it, I instantly picked up the plate and was about to head down to Spanish Quarter to showcase my creation to the restaurants there, but looking back, I’m glad I decided against it in the end, otherwise I would have been pestered by reporters interviewing me for magazines and papers. I’m not quite ready for such fame yet. I want to enjoy my life of ordinariness as much as I can before I eventually ride on fame. *20 seconds of self-indulgence*

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For my delicious salmon pumpkin croquettes
(I don’t remember the exact measurement, and I don’t think it really matters. Just follow your hidden culinary instinct, then you’ll be fine!)

pumpkin (butter nut preferred), grated
smoked salmon
onion
garlic
capers
lots of herbs – dill, parsley
lemon juice
salt&pepper to season
breadcrumb

Mix the ingredients together and crack one egg into the mixture
Roll and shape it into balls (for deepfrying) or any shape you’d like – a flattened oval shape is easy to panfry
Coat each balls with breadcrumb and fry in a pan

Enjoy with squeezed lemon juice!

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Spinach Rice Rolls with Feta & Sunflower seeds

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Bonus tapas that I made on a whim…. Confused by its look? I played with the recipe in my head and replaced filo pastry with rice paper, and pine nuts with sunflower seeds. Still, they tasted great. It’s sweetened with raisins and flavoured with nutmeg. All it’s missing is ‘Bechamel sauce’-onion flavoured white sauce- to go with it. Yummy :-9 (looks like I’m licking my lip?)