Mad About Spanish Food

Okay, we really shouldn't complain - not when it's lashing down in England, and people are posting all over Facebook that it's so cold they've had to light the wood burners and dust off the thermal underwear. But it just seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Here in Piddock Place, the most we can face most days is a sandwich. Much as we love salads and barbecues, we're a bit sick of them now. It's just been too darn hot to cook.

But when friends came for supper on Saturday, we could hardly serve up cheese and tomato sarnies, now could we? And I was guessing that they were probably about as sick of salads as we are. So I got my thinking cap on and came up with a supper idea that actually went down a storm.

For staters, I decided to do a twist on stuffed peppers. There are some lovely miniature peppers around at the moment - sweet and tender, so they don't need to be cooked. In fact, you don't even need to remove the ribs and seeds, I just halved them, and removed the stalk - although you could leave that intact for presentation purposes. Never thought about it until I was half way through though!

I kept the fillings simple, because when it's hot, simple is best. And I went for fishy fillings rather than meat and rice.

Tuna, egg and capers

Quantities don't really matter here - it depends how many you're catering for really.

• Tuna
• Finely chopped hard boiled egg
• A few chopped capers
• Mayonnaise, lemon juice, black pepper

Just mix everything together, and pile into the peppers. You're aiming for a slightly stiff consistency here, so it doesn't spill out, so add the lemon juice and mayo little by little, tasting as you go.

Crab salad and cucumber

You can make your own crab salad with chopped crab sticks, a little smoked paprika and some freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and mayonnaise. On the other hand, if you're feeling too hot to be bothered even to do that, you can use a ready made one. Then just mix in some finely chopped cucumber, for texture and flavour. I was going to add sweetcorn too, but I didn't find it in time!

I just halved some olives and plum cherry tomatoes, for decoration and an extra taste and texture sensation. Just before serving, I sprinkled with a little smoked paprika. That too added  a little extra in the flavour stakes.

There are all sorts of combinations that would work well here - grated cheese, chopped tomato and onion, or taquitos de jamon and scrambled eggs come to mind. Really, anything you have in the fridge or the cupboards can be pressed into service here.

The sweet taste of the peppers, combined with the savoury fillings and the smoky paprika is fresh on the tongue - just what you want on a hot day, and they re surprisingly filling.

The main course was a bit of a twist on a Salade Nicoise. Tuna, eggs, olives, tomato, cucumber, lettuce peppers and mushrooms. I didn't dress the salad, just drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with black pepper. I used one of those large tins of tuna you can get in the supermarket,s because they're nice and chunky. It's easy to drain off the oil, and it looks good on the plate too. I always buy mine from Lidl. At 5.19 Euro, not only is it the cheapest around, its also very tasty.

I served up the salad with bread, ali oli and tomato paste, and again, it ws a perfect meal for a hot evening - nice combination of flavours, and enough without being heavy on the stomach. And thanks to the protein content in the egg and tuna, we didn't feel hungry again in a couple of hours.

So, there you have it - a simple supper or lunch, hardly any preparation or cooking time and a nice combination of Mediterranean colours and flavours. What's not to love?

One of the great things about living in Spain is that it's so much cheaper to eat out. And even if you want to eat at the top end of the budget, you can still do it without having to remortgage your casa in order to do so. This week, we had family over from the UK, and as they had a 7 month old baby, we decided to eat out at lunch times, rather than in the evenings. So, what better on a sunny Spanish afternoon than a meal at Restaurante Rebate? And on Wednesdays, there's a flamenco show - ideal for visiting relatives and little babies who love movement, noise and bright colours.

Rebate is in a fantastic setting, in the heart of the Sierra Escalone, and you really could spend the day there without eating, as you feed the water fowl on the lake, admire the white peacocks, explore the tiny chapel and hit the organic foods and wines and local crafts in the shop. However, it would be a big mistake not to experience the taste sensations that Rebate offers.

The setting is fantastic - the shaded terrace overlooks the grounds of the finca, and although there is also a large conservatory restaurant, you really want to be outside. As we were shown to our table, one of the waiters brought across a bowl of bread and a cone of vegetable crisps for us to nibble on while we waited for the starters. If you go for the Menu Del Dia - and I really recommend it for your first visit - you'll receive a tray of hot and cold tapas for starters. It varies every day, but here's our selection:

On the slate tray in the foreground, there are the hot tapas - meat empanadas with garlic, cod fritters on sticks and toasts spread with morcilla and pesto. On the wooden board there's gazpacho, Russian Salad and Greek Salad. The only one I didn't do was the morcilla toasts, but the gazpacho is to die for. In fact, I had my first ever gzpacho at Rebate several years back.

Okay, the starters may be small, but when you've worked your way through 6, you feel as if you could just stop right there, so it's a good job the segundo plato isn't loaded. When we visited, there was a choice of salmon in cava sauce, pork loin in Roquefort sauce, or chicken fillet with cheese and onion. No contest for me:

As you can see, not a huge serving of vegetables, but the salmon was cooked to perfection, and it was presented beautifully. When we'd finished, I really didn't think I'd have room for dessert, but I figured it would be rude not to, after all the trouble the chef had gone to. Once again, it was a beautifully presented selection of mini desserts.

Fresh watermelon, arroz con leche and Crema Catalina rounded off a fantastic meal - although our great granddaughter Madison took a shine to the Crema Catalina, so we didn't see too much of that! She was also enamoured of the gazpacho and Russian Salad, so we have a 7 month old convert to the Mediterranean Diet now!

I suppose you're wondering how much all this costs, aren't you? Are you guessing at 25, 35 or even 50 Euro? Gues again! The Menu Del Dia comes in at just €18.75  a head, for appetisers, 3 courses and coffee. Drinks are extra. On Sundays, MDD is €27.50, but the servings are larger, and there are more starters and desserts, and also more choices for the segundo plato. The total bill for 4 adults, including drinks, came to €88. See? I told you you wouldn't need to remortgage the casa to eat at Restaurant Rebate. And if you fancy creating your own mini starters and desserts, you can buy the special pots and cuttlery in the shop when you've eaten.

Restaurante Rebate is situated on the CV952, midway between Pilar de la Horadada and Torremendo, in the heart of the Sierra Escalone mountains in Alicante Province. In summer, there is a full programme of lunchtime entertainment. During low season, there are flamenco shows on Sundays and Wednesdays. Booking is advisable.

http://www.restauranterebate.com/lang/en_EN

Phone: 965 368 229