Tapa of Manchego Cheese, Peppers and Capers
Tapa de Queso Manchego, Pimientos y Alcaparras

Back to our Spanish Recipes Manchego cheese is a sheep milk cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain. It is a semi-firm cheese with a rich golden color and the taste ranges from mild to deep and rich, depending on how long it is aged for.  Here we use it as a base for a simple tasty tapa, pairing it with the wonderful rich smoky flavour of roasted piquillo peppers and the contrasting astringent taste of capers.

Difficulty	Cooking Time	Servings
	5min.	12 Nibble

Ingredients

• 300 grs Manchego cheese, ideally a mature variety.
• 1 jar La Buena Vida piquillo peppers, drained
• 12- 16 capers in vinegar
• 12- 16 cocktail sticks

Instructions

1. Cut the cheese into cubes of about 1.5 cm
2. Cut the piquillo peppers into strips, about 1 cm wide
3. Drape the strips of pepper over the cheese cubes.
4. Pierce each caper with a cocktail stick and finally drive the cocktail stick through the pepper and cheese stacks.

Tips and Variations

• We suggest using the pickled capers in this dish for their contrasting sharp taste.  You can use salted capers if you prefer, ensuring to wash any excess salt from the surface.
• The Spanish grow the capers through to the berry stage.  Called alacaparrones, they are particularly delicious if you can find them.