Tapas Night In
Want to throw an intimate gathering for a small group of friends but tired of the usual chips-and-salsa deal and/or too intimidated/tired to prepare any major dishes? Why not throw a tapas party instead? Tapas – if you’re not familiar with them – are (basically) appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm, and depending on the chef, can be simple or complex. Tapas encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them and instead pick and choose among small bites while enjoying the conversation. Having a tapas party thus hits upon two ideals: (i) tapas certainly beat the run-of-the-mill salsa route and will wow your guests; and (ii) tapas are simple to prepare, make and serve.
What kind of tapas are we talking about here? Well, for a small group of, say, 5-8 people, you’ll probably want to serve 4-5 different tapas. They can be as simple as a mixed assortment of olives, a variety of pickled and crispy bite-sized vegetables, some slices of baguette rubbed with garlic and slathered with tomato, and breadsticks with prosciutto or jamon iberico wrapped around the ends. Or they can be more complicated, like the chicken-and-ham croquettes served with a Dijon sauce, a cold Spanish potato tortilla with some aioli on the side, and a gazpacho with hints of sherry and the intensity of fresh tomatoes and other vegetables. Serve the tapas on an assortment of plates and serving ware- who cares if they don’t match? The more eclectic and colorful the serving ware, the better. Provide guests with small cocktail plates, and cocktail-size forks or toothpicks to handle the tapas and have plenty of napkins on hand. Pair the foods with cold, frosty Spanish beer and Spanish wines or sherries. Have everyone sit around a table strewn with candles or better yet, spread a picnic blanket on the floor of your living, room, add some pillows and strategically-placed candles, and treat your guests to an in-house tapas picnic. Finally, top the evening with some store-bought flan and some dessert sherry or port.
Or, if you’re really busy and/or want to leave the cooking to the pros, work with Spilled Milk Catering in coming up with the foods for your tapas night in. We love making tapas and can go as simple or as complex as a client would like. We’ll prepare the foods, drop them off at your place early, provide you with heating and serving instructions and even suggest some more ideas to make your tapas night in a success. Spilled Milk Catering has worked with several clients in preparing tapas for their events, and they have all worked out great. Whatever you choose to do, we guarantee that a tapas night will impress your guests and make for a memorable evening. Ole!
- Amit, Raj and James
