The idea of throwing a tapas party has always appealed to me because I really like experimenting with new and different foods. A tapa is not a particular type of food nor is it always Spanish as many people probably think. Paella, bruschetta, shrimp toast – truly anything can be a tapa. Chinese and Moroccan cuisines are also known for their tapas-style dishes. In Mexico, they are known as botanas. Typically, as long as they are small and served with your drink it is tapas.
Tapas (plural) are not a starter in the same way as appetizers. Whenever you are eating these small plates, you plan to make them your meal. And it is not a large variety of dishes brought out on a large platter and intended as your main meal. A tapa (singular) may be as simple as a slice of cheese or ham. They are especially nice for cocktail parties or larger gatherings since they are designed to be eaten while standing if desired.
It is not uncommon to have 8 to 12 different kinds of dishes available in a tapas bar. Usually, they are strongly flavored with garlic, paprika, cumin, chilies, saffron and/or olive oil. Sometimes there will be seafood choices including anchovies, sardines, squid or mackerel covered in olive oil or fresh tomato sauce. It is rare to see tapas that do not include several types of olives and breads.
During college, I spent a lot of time collecting unique dishes thinking I would throw a fun small plates party. I never actually got around to that party exactly, being the broke college kid that I was, but I had a good itme serving mini plates on occasion to my boyfriend. It was a lot of fun but I still have wanted to throw a full-blown tapas celebration.
For our first effort with a tapas celebration, Hubby and I invited some friends who were in college (synonymous with “without funds”) to join us for party on the condition that they were to bring the makings of margaritas. Tapas and margaritas seemed like a perfect combination to me!
Since most dishes only feature 1 or 2 ingredients that are simply prepared, hosting a tapas party is easy. Many tapas are meant to be served cold so those may be prepared ahead of time.
A few recommendations when throwing a Tapas Party:
- Have 5-6 dishes. Choose ones that are simple and can be made ahead of time.
- Have a few cold tapas and 2 to 3 hot ones.
- Have at least 2 drink options in addition to water. Wine typically accompanies the dishes in
a tapas bar, but you might prefer margaritas or sangria. - Allow enough for each person to have 5 to 6 bites per dish.
For our tapas celebration. I wanted simple recipes with big flavors. Here are a few for you to try:
Spanish Bruschetta: The Spanish take on bruschetta is a little different than the more familiar Italian version . Check out the recipe for Spanish Bruschetta found on Married and Hungry.
Common Spanish Tapas: Stuffed olives, marinated olive, goat cheese stuffed piquillo peppers, marinated mushrooms and Marcona almonds can usually be found in your market deli or salad bar and relieve you of making everything from scratch.
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs of rosemary, stems removed and leaves minced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut the tomatoes into ½ inch slices and place into a baking sheet or large casserole.
- Brush tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Sprinkle with minced garlic and rosemary.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- 4 dried red chilies
- 1-2 slices of stale white bread or use ¼-½ cup bread crumbs
- 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced and quartered.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil
- Sherry vinegar to taste ( I used 2 teaspoons.)
- Use a preprepared 20-ounce bag of frozen meatballs or make your own:.
- 2 6-ounce tubes of chorizo
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Soak the dried chilies for 10-15 minutes until softened. Drain; remove the stems.
- In a food processor add in peppers, cumin, pepper flakes, garlic, and salt. Process until a paste forms. Drizzle with olive oil while blending.
- Add bread and water alternately until the sauce is thick but no longer pasty. Add the vinegar to taste.
- Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Roll into small balls of about 1 tablespoon each.
- Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees;set aside.
ARWB member Renee Birchfield shares her favorite things in life at Married and Hungry hoping that her newlywed situations and thoughts will be of help to other new wives. A self-proclaimed food nerd with a degree in Food and Culinary Science, she enjoys sharing her recipes and other kitchen experiments. She and her husband call Central Arkansas home. You can often find her making a mess in the kitchen a mess, trying to cross stitch or playing with their dog and cat. Keep up with her over on Twitter, Instagram and Married and Hungry’s Facebook page.
My philosophy is that every meal should be a celebration. Food is life-giving. It is the fuel for our bodies. And it’s pretty awesome that our fuel can be beautiful and yummy too.
