Anything at all . . if it's small

MOST people associate tapas – those bite-sized accompaniments served with food – with Spain. In fact, anything can be tapas – paella, croquettes, haggis filo fritters, oatmeal-crusted square sausage crisps with tomato and onion chutney, or smoked haddock fishcakes. Anything. As long as it is small and served with a drink, it is tapas.

I'm a big fan of tapas, but I also get frustrated about the lack of knowledge about them. Tapas are also not starters. If you start eating tapas, you finish eating tapas, and you don't stop until you're full.

In the early days of tapas, it was a simple slice of cheese or ham, which came alongside a drink and placed over your glass. There is some debate over why exactly this was done – some said it was to ward off the flies, while others were convinced that it was to hide the smell of bad wine.

And then there is the belief that tapas originated from a sick king who couldn't drink alcohol without taking some food with it. He issued a royal decree that insisted that everyone should take food with their drinks. Nevertheless this edible lid was the pre-cursor of the modern-day tapas.

I decided to introduce tapas to the menu at the Roxburghe Hotel. But instead of offering the widespread Spanish tapas, I went for Scottish tapas. After all, why not enjoy bite-sized portions of all your favourites or experiment with new flavours, textures and combinations?

Haggis filo fritters with grain mustard cream, smoked salmon on rye with saffron and lemon mayonnaise and venison meatballs with port and walnut sauce are just some of the fun tapas that can be easily created – with not a fried potato or chorizo in sight.

But the best bit about tapas is being able to linger and share with friends. Food shouldn't be about a quick refuel, but about sitting down and enjoying great food with some even greater drinks. So for me, tapas is the only choice.


• Julian Prosser is executive chef at the Macdonald Roxburghe Hotel on Charlotte Square, 0131-240 5500


RECIPES
Haggis filo fritters with grain mustard cream (serves four)
Ingredients:
200g haggis
50g shallots (finely chopped)
thyme
4 filo pastry sheets (10cm squares )
1 egg
1 tbsp course grain mustard
50ml double cream
50ml chicken stock
50ml white wine
Chives (finely chopped)

Method:

Pan fry shallots without colouring, add chopped thyme. Remove from heat and cool. Mix with haggis and roll into small balls (about the size of a large grape). Reduce chicken stock and white wine by half. Add cream and stir in mustard, season. Egg wash a 'sheet' of filo pastry and put haggis ball in centre. Fold up edges of pastry to form a parcel / wonton shape. Deep fry for 30-40 seconds (until golden brown) and serve with mustard cream.

Oatmeal-crusted square sausage crisps with tomato and onion chutney (serves four)
Ingredients:

2 quality pork sausages (de-skinned)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 Granny Smith apple
parsley
1 egg
25g flour
50g porridge oats
2 plum tomatoes
50ml white wine vinegar
1 red chilli (finely chopped)
1 red onion (finely chopped)
salt & sugar

Method:
Mix mustard, chopped parsley and diced apple with sausage meat and form into mini 'patties'. Chill in refrigerator for one hour. Fry onions until soft, without colour, add vinegar and reduce until most of vinegar has gone. Add chilli and chopped tomatoes and simmer for approx 1 hour season with sugar and salt.

Lightly dust sausage 'patties' with flour, dip in beaten egg & finally cover with oatmeal and deep fry until golden brown.

Smoked haddock fish cakes
Ingredients:
200g Un-dyed smoked haddock
100g peeled prawns
200g Maris Piper potatoes
chives
50g flour
1 egg
breadcrumbs

Method:
Poach haddock in a little milk, and then flake flesh into a bowl. Boil potatoes and mash (without milk or butter). Mix haddock with prawns and fold into mashed potato. Roll into small balls and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Dust fish cakes with flour, roll in beaten egg and finally roll in breadcrumbs. Deep fry until golden brown.