COOK'S CORNER L.A. STUDENT'S TAPAS WIN BIG.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Mario Santiago Farias of Los Angeles landed the grand prize in the eighth annual Taste of Spain recipe contest, sponsored by Foods From Spain, with his creation Tapas Espanolas. Farias, a culinary student at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, filled pastry dough in mini muffin pans with a creamy mixture of peppers, cheeses and ham. He won a two-week trip to Barcelona, Spain, this summer to participate in a restaurant-culinary training program and $1,000 in spending money.

TAPAS ESPANOLAS

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour

10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

Water

1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton)

1/2 cup milk

4 ounces thickly sliced Serrano ham, julienned (about 1 cup)

6 canned OR jarred piquillo peppers OR roasted red peppers, drained and julienned

1/2 cup shredded tetilla cheese (OR shredded Monterey Jack cheese OR use all manchego cheese)

1/2 cup shredded manchego cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, place 2 cups flour. With a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in 8 tablespoons butter, cut into thin slices, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a cup, combine salt and 1/4 cup ice water; sprinkle over flour mixture and stir with a fork until mixture holds together. Form into a ball; flatten, wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour and paprika until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring just to a boil; turn off heat and stir in Serrano ham, piquillo peppers and tetilla and manchego cheeses.

Roll out dough to form a 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut into 20 (3-inch) squares; fit a square into each of 20 mini-muffin pan cups. Divide filling evenly among pastry-lined cups. Bring pastry edges up to meet and twist together in center. Brush tops of pastry with olive oil. Place pans on a rimmed baking sheet to catch spills.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is golden. Serve hot with glasses of dry sherry. Makes 20 tapas.

NOTE: Look for Spanish paprika, Serrano ham, piquillo peppers and the Spanish cheeses at Whole Foods, Wild Oats or Bristol Farms. Otherwise visit the following Web sites to order Spanish food products - www.oleolefoods.com, www.tablespan.com or www.tienda.com/spanishcheese.htm. And if all else fails, substitute other kinds of paprika, peppers, ham and cheeses in the recipe.

Another contest winner

Lauren Assayag, a fifth-grader from Westwood, won the grand prize in Dole's 5 a Day Kids Recipe Contest with her recipe for Mango Avocado Salsa Chicken Strips. The 10-year-old beat out 402 other nationwide entries from children ages 5 to 12, earning a $10,000 savings bond, which she says she'll use for college. Assayag enjoys art projects and sees cooking as a kind of art, combining colors and tastes. Besides being fun and easy to make, her winning recipe is nutritious.

MANGO AVOCADO SALSA CHICKEN STRIPS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup pineapple-orange juice

1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mango Avocado Salsa

Sprinkle chicken strips with garlic powder and place in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add pineapple-orange juice and cilantro to bag, seal bag and turn to mix. Place bag in a glass dish (to catch any leaks or drips) and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 3 hours. Remove chicken from bag and discard remaining marinade.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken strips and cook over medium heat; stirring until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Top with Mango Avocado Salsa and serve. Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

MANGO AVOCADO SALSA: In a bowl, mix together 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced; 1 small avocado, peeled, pitted and diced; 1 tomato, diced; 1/4 medium-sized jicama, diced; 3 tablespoons diced green onions; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons pineapple-orange juice and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 292 calories; 13 grams fat; 66 milligrams cholesterol; 92 milligrams sodium; 17 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 29 grams protein.

Chocolate reigns in easy bars

Recently I came across a really fast chocolate cookie bar recipe shared by a reader in the Orange County Register and couldn't wait to adapt and try it. Although the original recipe called for a 16-ounce package of Oreo cookies, crumbed, mixed with 3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks) for the crust in a 9x13-inch baking pan, I reduced those amounts (see recipe below). In addition, I thought the bars needed a little texture, so I opted to add some coarsely chopped pecans. However you make it, the recipe is a winner - and one I'll add to my repertoire of easy, delicious favorites. Once baked, be sure to refrigerate several hours until firm.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE BARS

1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press evenly in bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup chocolate chips in a glass bowl or measuring cup. Heat in microwave oven on high power 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Drizzle evenly over crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and nuts.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares. Makes about 45 cookies.

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Small tapas-like pastries brought the top prize in the Taste of Spain contest to a Los Angeles culinary student.