I was first exposed to tapas-style cuisine a little over a year ago. That’s pretty much when the trend started to take off, and it’s all thanks to this really freaking amazing Spanish chef, Jose Andres. I went to his restaurant, Jaleo, at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and tried about 7 or 8 different dishes from the menu. Now, that sounds like a lot, but not when they’re tapas. These are appetizer-sized plates meant to be shared by everyone at the table. So you are actually supposed to order a ton of different food; that way everyone gets to try a little of everything and no one has a bored palette. There’s nothing worse than having a one-note meal. I love this style of cooking, serving, and eating, so when I saw that Sunday Supper’s theme for this week was Tapas, I was all kinds of excited! Many thanks to Constance from The Foodie Army Wife for hosting this Tapas Party!
There are so many different kinds of tapas that it was really hard to narrow it down to one. I love anything bite size (mini food is always the cutest) but I’d just shared Mini Spinach Cups for a game day roundup, so I wanted to do something different. I picked flat bread because you can really play around with flavors and ingredients, and when you’re dining out with a group of people, flatbread is the perfect dish because you can cut it up into pieces for everyone to enjoy!
This is technically a recipe for focaccia, but I roll it out very thin so that it bakes up nice and crisp. If you have never worked with yeast before, it can be a little scary in the beginning. But don’t be intimated; I promise it’s not that bad! I always get nervous, but as long as your water is a good room temperature and your yeast isn’t expired, you should be fine. Keep an eye out for the little bubbles or foam to appear and then you know your yeast has woken up!
Roasted Tomato Basil Flatbread
2 packets active dry yeast
6 oz luke warm water, between 105-118 degrees
1 tbsp sugar
1 oz olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 cups bread flour
20-25 cherry tomatoes, halved
4-5 tbsp Gourmet Garden Basil
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the yeast, water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until you see the yeast begin to foam or bubbles appear. Add the shallots and garlic, and 2 cups of flour and mix with the dough hook on medium speed. Add more flour as needed until the dough forms and is a little bit sticky and begins to pull from the sides of the bowl. Mix for about 8 minutes total.
Place the dough in a large bowl and completely coat with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic and keep in a warm area (90-95 degrees) and let rise for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. While your dough is rising, roast your tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roast for 20 minutes.
Coat a 9×12 baking sheet with semolina or corn meal. This will give the bottom of your bread a grainy texture and keep it from sticking. Once your dough has risen, roll it out onto the baking sheet making sure to spread it about 1/8 inch thick. The edges can be a little thicker so they resemble a crust. Spread the Gourmet Garden basil evenly over the bread and arrange the roasted tomatoes over the basil. Bake for 20 minutes. Take the bread out and scatter the fresh basil leaves on the bread. Bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Store in an air tight container for later use.
Don’t stop here; make sure to visit each and every one of my Sunday Supper friends and try all of their tapas, too!
Stuffed Green Queen Olives with Garlic Infused Olive Oil from MarocMama
Cheesy, Tortellini Tapas & Spicy Bacon Ranch Dip from Daily Dish Recipes
Black-Eyed Pea Cowboy Caviar from Shockingly Delicious
Goan Beef Croquettes from Masala Herb
Giardiniera Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Bacon Wrapped Calamari from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Patatas Bravas from Supper for a Steal
Caramelized Onion & Gruyere Bites from The Foodie Army Wife
Agave Truffles from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Pear, Brie, and Honey Crostini from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Tomato Bread from girlichef
Clams in Green Sauce (Almejas en Salsa Verde) from The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Roasted Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Take A Bite Out of Boca
Herb and Citrus Marinated Olives from Magnolia Days
Smoky Paprika Peppers from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Balsamic Raspberries with Mascarpone Cream from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Gambas al Ajillo from Manu’s Menu
Squid in Garlic Chili Olive Oil from Food Lust People Love
Tortilla Española from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Croquetas de Pollo from Cookin’ Mimi
Low-Carb Salmon Croquettes from Yours And Mine Are Ours
Bruschetta Topping from What Smells So Good?
Herb Roasted Almonds from Curious Cuisiniere
Artichoke Heart and Manchego Spread on Fried Garlic Bread from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Tortillita de Camarones from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Patatas A La Riojana (Rioja-Style Potato & Chorizo Stew) from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Gambas al Ajillo y Clementina (Shrimp with Garlic and Clementines) from FoodieTots
Tortillas De Papa y Atun (Tuna and Potatoes Tortilla) from Basic N Delicious
Pocky Cake Pops from NinjaBaking.com
Chorizo Filled Dates Wrapped in Bacon from I Run For Wine
Manchego-Stuffed Spanish Meatballs from The Weekend Gourmet
Roast Onions with Blue Cheese and Pine Nuts from Healthy. Delicious.
Shrimp and Chorizo Tapas from The Texan New Yorker
Blueberry and Lemon Yogurt Quesada from In The Kitchen With KP
Chorizo with Spicy Sweet Potato Tapas from Soni’s Food
Chorizo and Manchego Toast Tapas from Family Foodie
Roasted Bone Marrow with Citrus Salad from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Mushroom Chevre Crostini from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Serrano Ham and Manchego Croquetas with Smoked Pimenton Aioli from My Other City By The Bay
Krab Filled Avocado Tapas from from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
Polenta Crostini Bites with Caramelized Mushrooms: Cicchetti – A Venetian Tapas Tradition from La Bella Vita Cucina
You know you can’t have a party without wine ~ at least you certainly can’t in my house. Martin Redmond is here to give you the perfect recommendations: Best Wines To Pair With Tapas from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Gorgeous flatbread! I could eat many little plates of it.
What a great recipe, this looks DELICIOUS!
This would be dangerous for me to eat!! I could eat it all! I love it!!
Yummm…I want some of this now!! I am a yeast-phobe, but am working on conquering it. Baby steps…but I really want to make this!!!
wooow, I so want this now, feel like grabbing your delicious flatbread out of my screen. That’s the effect it has on me.
Now this is something I could eat every day!!
The crust looks great on that, thanks for sharing.
Such a pretty flatbread! I love the color and flavor choices.
Jaleo was my favorite restaurant when we lived in Washington DC. Many, many lunches and dinners there. It’s the perfect way to experience tapas outside of Spain. Gorgeous bread you’ve made!
Can I have a piece (or half a pie?)
Nom, nom, nom…your dish looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Yum, this looks amazing but I’m sure that once I started eating it wouldn’t end at a small plate 🙂
I love flatbreads for appetizers! Great, great idea. It looks sooo good.
Fantabulous explanation of waking up yeast, Shaina…I have worked with the stuff many times,,,But it’s always a little nervous making and your words are very assuring.
As for the flatbread – yummmmmy! Thank you for the recipe and the recommendation to try out Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It’s on the list now for my next trip to LV =)
Love this recipe!!! Although I would be afraid to eat the whole thing and not share with others…..
Mmmmm…flatbread! I want THIS for dinner!
Oh, man, I love this gorgeous flatbread…I think I could eat the whole thing myself 🙂
Love the look of those gorgeous roasted tomatoes… this flatbread is making me hungry. Again!
That looks fantastic, love the flavor combinations.
Gorgeous looking flatbread! Love all the flavors especially the cherry tomatoes 🙂
Can’t stop drooling, Shaina!