A few weeks ago we hosted a tapas party… by accident. It was and easy tapas party and it reminded me how simple it can be to get together with friends and enjoy some classic snacks and drinks.
It wasn't a complete accident, we had intended to get together with our friends for a Spanish themed meal with a few tapas type dishes. We were making albondigas and they were making patatas bravas, and bringing a few wine selections. That sounded a little too simple, we decided we at least needed some manchego cheese and bread, and maybe some olives. Our friends like to make pan con tomate...I think you can see what happened here, right?
But wait, there's more. When my wife came home from the market with the cheese and olives she showed me some really nice fresh cod that she couldn't resist. And I had remembered that I had a fairly nice domestically produced chorizo in the freezer. So, a Valencian style seafood rice dish and chorizo con pappas later, we had more food than four adults and a few children needed. Our solution, of course, was to start inviting our neighbors. This morphed into a tapas party in our front yard with any of our neighbors who were home at the time. And it was all...easy.
Easy as it was, I did spend some time throughout the day in preparation. I had been wanting to make Baklava, and while it is not a Spanish dish, it certainly was an appropriate bite sized snack, and who doesn't like Baklava? I made the meatballs and sauce from scratch of course, but that did not take a lot of time. The rice dish was simple, prepared in a paellera in about 20 minutes.
Presenting tapas in this fashion doesn't exactly resemble the tiny plates you see in tapas restaurants here, but it isn't far from the bar-full of platters laden with tooth-picked specialties that seems to be pictured in every coffee table book about the foods of Spain.
In this instance we presented the rice in the paellera, surrounded by platters and bowls heaped with the other appetizers to stay warm. It was a pretty impressive array of foods, and it makes me want to do it again, only on purpose!
This got me thinking. Can I call it a tapas party if I serve Baklava? Does everything have to be stuck with a toothpick? Where are the fried anchovies?
Maybe there is no easy answer. I guess the theme here is about easy tapas so I'll put the smack down on some of the extreme authenticism swirling in my brain and stick to the easy. The secret to having easy and successful get-togethers like this is starting with a few convenience items. You can find some nice marinated mushrooms or mushroom salads that are appropriate at the market or specialty foods place. Some dried fruits and nuts are good. I think dried apricots, figs, and dates are best. Marcona almonds would be perfect. I'm thinking that a few olive selections are relatively easy to come across, also. And of course some Spanish cheeses. Manchego cheese, goat cheese, maybe an Ombra if you can find it.
One of the easiest tapas to prepare are these albondigas, or meat balls. There are countless recipes for these, I like to use half pork and half beef or veal, served in an easy tomato sauce. Prepared and served in the cast iron pan like this creates an appropriately rustic presentation.
You probably must serve patatas bravas or chorizo con patatas. We served both, which provided a nice meatless item to round out the menu. I should have made this chorizo en sidra recipe. The other easy, probably should have item is pan con tomate. This can be prepared traditionally, or with the tomato on the side so your guests can top it themselves. This prevents the bread from getting soggy and adds to the ease of preparation concept we are striving for.
To this point the most time consuming item on this menu is the meatballs. That really speaks to how simply this get together can be. You could stop right here, and have a light tapas presentation that would be very nice. Maybe you could add some serrano ham or jamon iberico, or something like these easy to make Papaya Wrapped in Serrano Ham, and still prepare the entire selection with ease.
Did you know that Spain is the only grower of papaya in Europe?
If you want to have a little heartier presentation you can add a rice dish like we did, which can be served in the pan it is prepared in. This lends an especially authentic looking presentation if you have a paellera or a nice dual handled cast iron pan. This may stray a bit from what most people view as a tapa, but I think we can get away with it. There are endless choices here, if I forget myself I will start thinking extreme and want to make a Paella Valenciana, but this is all about easy. I had that nice fresh cod my wife found, so I chose to make Arroz Empedrado. This rice and white bean dish is traditionally prepared with salted cod, but I had that fresh cod, so I used that. Nestled on top of the simmering rice, it steamed beautifully, and it was delicious. Perhaps not what you would find in Spain, but who is to say, and it definitely had authentic flavor.
This simple menu will give you plenty of food for 10 to 15 people, and can be prepared in just a few hours with much of the work being completed the day before. The items are authentic with simple approachable flavors, and if you search your local Spanish or Latin food market you might find a few simple add-ons to enhance it. Or, you can spend that time to find the perfect Spanish wine pairings to compliment the array of foods you have assembled, or to prepare your Sangria.
My final thought. A tapas party doesn't have to be limited to bite sized morsels stabbed with a toothpick. And, it is nice to have a heartier portion of an item, especially if the get-together is going to replace your evening meal. And, you should offer an array of authentic ingredients and flavors. As for dessert, I think I will find a nice almond cookie recipe or prepare a caramel cheese flan.
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