On our trips to Andalucía I've always enjoyed the concept of tapas as the full evening nosh. In the village bars we went to, we'd order a glass of wine, then be offered tapas, all for €2. Well you can't eat and drink at home cheaper than that (and we never found a bar that exploited us by giving us bad wine).

It's easy enough to put out a plate of cured meat slices such as jamon Iberico and a bowl of olives, but I've wanted to make things myself as well. I've more or less mastered salmorejo, the tiny bowl of chilled breaded tomato "soup" made with sherry vinegar and a topping of slivers of jamon and a bit of chopped hard-boiled egg (like gazpacho but thicker and much richer). Tonight I got myself about 100g of chorizo (it was a spicy one and cut off one of those shaped like a horseshoe). I skinned it, then made a little foil boat on a baking tray into which I put the sliced chorizo, extra virgin olive oil, a thinly sliced banana shallot and a sprinkling of smoked sweet paprika. That went into the oven at 180C fan for about twenty minuets. Begod, that was damn good...those crispy edges...