#tapas

#tapas

In the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali begins his discussion on how to practice yoga with the word tapas -and he's not talking about Spanish cuisine! Sometimes tapas is translated as "learning from our suffering," but it basically means "to burn" in the way that you might burn away impurities by heating gold. This is why I often call yoga a form of alchemy.

Pan con tomate (bread with tomato) proves it doesn't take a long list of fancy ingredients or complicated cooking techniques to create a mouthwatering dish. Known as pa amb tomàquet in Catalan, this simple tapa hails from Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It's said pan con tomate originated as a way for peasants to moisten dry bread while utilizing the region's abundance of tomatoes and keep hunger at bay between meals. Nowadays, it's regarded as a traditional tapa in both Catalan and Spanish cuisine, working just as well as a homemade snack as it does in a fancy establishment.

Ordering tapas in Spain means embracing joyful disorder. Tiny plates arrive stacked with boquerones en vinagre, dense wedges of tortilla, and paper-thin jamón that melts in your mouth.

Al-Andalus, a new tapas restaurant, opens in the East Village featuring a menu of vegan dishes, all priced at $10 or less, by chef Amira Gharib.

Bar Baserri is a new wine, vermouth, and tapas bar in Williamsburg, aiming to create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere dedicated to Spanish flavors.

The key is adding garlic in two stages: marinating raw shrimp in grated garlic, then sautéing more garlic in olive oil before adding the shrimp.

In my restaurant, Jose, and my new restaurant, Lolo, I see people smiling and chatting over their food, even with strangers at nearby tables.