An Updated Classic: Spanish White Bean Stew

I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit bored of finding the same five to seven tapas at "Spanish" restaurants in the U.S.  If you've been to too many of these places, you might assume Spanish fare has nothing more to offer than tortilla española and patatas bravas.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  A country the size of Texas, Spain has so much regional culinary variation, limiting ourselves to paella and a handful of tired tapas is like saying you've tried Mexican food after only eating at Taco Bell-- it's just plain wrong.

If the chefs at our Spanish restaurants won't step their games up, it's up to us.   With this in mind, I decided to revamp a Spanish classic that much like the region it comes from, is well-known in Spain, but relatively obscure to the rest of the world.

Falafel - Try It Sober for Once

A lot of young people's relationships with falafel are akin to that of smoking: they only do it when drunk.  How sad.

Why should one enjoy falafel only when obliterated?  Or worse yet, why should this nutritious delicacy receive the same treatment as a known carcinogenic consuetude?

The answer is: they shouldn't. While everyone has their favorite vendor after they've had a couple too many, homemade falafel can far exceed the quality and freshness of stale precooked patties one encounters all too often.  Additionally, they're easy to make and cheap!

Espinacas con Garbanzos: Because Spinach and Chickpeas Doesn't Have the Same Ring to It

While the name in English is anything but sexy, the taste of this tapa I greatly enjoyed from my time in Spain greatly exceeds the mundane Anglophonic title.  Though spinach and chickpeas might garner a lukewarm reaction from dinner guests, espinacas con garbanzos is sure to excite the Spanish and non-Spanish speaker alike-- granted, once you've tried the dish, the English name will do just fine.