Cheap Gourmet: A Couple of Easy Tapas

I recently had my sister over for dinner, but didn't have enough of any one thing for a traditional meal of an entree and side dishes. I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store and I couldn’t use the word “cheap” in the title of this story if I’d opted for grocery delivery.

So I challenged myself to come up with a fabulous meal from what was available in the pantry. Well, okay, the refrigerator and freezer as well. And yes, I do keep all of those fairly well stocked most of the time. The lack of even one package of chicken or a steak was a little shocking. What had I been doing with my time?

I love garbanzo beans enough to eat them cold, straight out of the can, but you need something a little fancier for guests. While the garbanzo beans are the star ingredient in the simple dish that follows, olive oil plays an important supporting role. Luckily, it's a heart healthy oil, although you do still have to watch the calories.

When organic garbanzo beans go on sale for a dollar a can I stock up. But, then what? They're great in soups, stews and salads. I love them mashed up in falafel, veggie burgers, and cooked with cauliflower, tomatoes and curry spices. But, what else?

Tapas. Also, finger foods and appetizers. Or, to be like some of my favorite restaurants, I’d call it a dinner of small plates for sharing.

What else was in the cupboard? Olives! I've been known to eat black olives straight out of the can (yes, I know, but I’m equally at home being fancy or eating things out of cans standing over the kitchen sink), but I wanted something a little fancier for a tapas-style dinner.

Black olives sometimes seem to be the ugly stepsisters of the olive world, relegated to pizza toppings or serving as a garnish that never gets eaten. And that's a shame, because they're easy to dress up for a ball, even if they won't steal Cinderella's limelight. They're also cheap, particularly in comparison to their bitter, green, brined, marinated, stuffed, fancy-pants cousins.

To round out the meal, I made tuna cakes with a can from the pantry, my famous Southern buttermilk biscuits (well, fine, only famous among people who know me), a small side salad, a tiny cheese board with some slivers of cheese ends, some almonds I roasted and a few squares of dark chocolate, and a poached pear. It was actually a feast.

Paprika Roasted Garbanzo Beans

1 can garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toss the beans with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the spices. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes until they just start to shrivel a little. If you roast them too long they become like nuts, and they're good that way, but not what you're going for here. Remove from the oven, put in a glass bowl and toss with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Taste to see if you need more salt. Serve hot or cold.

Lemon Marinated Black Olives

1 can jumbo black olives

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Drain the olives. Chop the garlic. Zest the entire lemon. Squeeze all the juice out of the lemon. Add the olives, garlic, zest, lemon juice and olive oil to a bowl. Mix well and transfer everything to a plastic container with a tight lid, or a plastic bag that closes tightly. Let sit for 3 hours and give the container or bag a shake every 1/2 hour to distribute the marinade. You can marinate them longer, or to taste. The longer they sit, the stronger the lemon flavor will be.