Sun streaming through my dust-caked dining room windows reminded me that a proper dinner party is good motivation for spring cleaning, and an excuse to dust off some favorite family recipes. I have a blast cooking with my husband. Shopping for gourmet goodies with him and working as a team in the kitchen to feed our nearest and dearest is soul satisfying.
For both of us, cooking our version of Spanish food is an act of love from start to finish. We were married in Spain, we’ve both travelled there since we were children. In 2008, we hiked 420 miles across Spain together on the Camino de Santiago del Norte trail. A shared nostalgia for our most memorable meals helped us assemble a tapas menu for dinner with six of our neighbors.
Our game plan for the evening.
I made my standard tortilla española, a sort of Spanish omelette, and my first-ever fabada Asturiana, creamy white beans with slab bacon, blood sausage and Carlos’ homemade chorizo. Carlos was proud of his first attempt at baking a tarta de Santiago, an almond cake from one of our favorite cities. He also made perfect croquetas, creamy clouds of béchamel enveloped by crunchy golden breadcrumbs. I’m not sure how my neighbors felt about being served octopus, anchovies and blood sausage, but I was thrilled. I hope to post the more involved or adventurous recipes in the near future.
Fabada Asturiana simmering in the Le Creuset and potatoes and onions cooking in olive oil for tortilla española
Carlos' homemade chorizo prior to being smoked
The scope of our menu may have gone a bit overboard, but many dishes took just minutes to prepare. Raw Marcona almonds were toasted in a pan on the stovetop, then doused in olive oil, sea salt, orange zest and rosemary. Banderillas, named for the speared sticks used in bull-fighting, can be made by combining on a toothpick a variety of savory chunks of tuna or shrimp, hard boiled egg, cocktail onions, pickled green beans, piquillo peppers, and the like. Ours had olives, juicy imported anchovies and cornichons.
Tiny packages bursting with flavor.
In a spin on tuna-stuffed piquillo peppers, I filled sweet Peppadew peppers with a simple smoked trout mousse. Combine in a food processor:
a tin of smoked trout
1/2 a stick of cream cheese
2-3 tablespoons cream
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
Spoon the mousse into a sandwich bag and cut off a corner to make a small opening, then squeeze the filling into adorable red Peppadew peppers. These are bite-sized, cherry red, sweet with a tangy kick. A wonderful match for the mellow, creamy saltiness of the mousse. I thought Peppadews would be harder to find, but they were readily available at the olive bar in Whole Foods, at Bristol Farms, Monsieur Marcel and Mercantile. These were prepared ahead of time, then brought to room temperature before serving. I have also served this mousse in summertime on discs of cucumber with slivers of piquillo pepper. They disappear fast.
Nothing tricky here, just a sandwich bag and a squeeze.
An elegant and easy summer snack.
Wow – the whole menu looks incredible! Nice to see you back writing for this blog; it has some great articles.
Love me some smoked trout cheesy delights… I just need to convince Sharie she likes them too. Where are the pictures of the other items?!
I was too busy to take pictures! I thought about not mentioning the other dishes. I will post a pic of the fabada and tortilla cooking. Your boquerones recipe was awesome, thank you!
I wanna be your neighbor…. I’d have been thrilled to be served all that delicious food!!
Would you know where I can buy Pepperdews in the Tampa Bay area? I am looking for the spanish variety.
Thanks
Hi! I often buy them in the bulk olive bin at Whole Foods. It looks like there is a Whole Foods in Tampa. Or try : http://peppadew.gourmetfoodmall.com/ I hope that helps!
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I made these stuffed Peppadews again last night. I was in a hurry, so I did it with a whole stick of cream cheese, one tin of smoked trout, and What’s-this-here sauce. That’s it. So easy and so good. They were a big hit.