Tapas is one of my favorite theme menus to serve when hosting a cocktail party. Compliment delicious small bites with a big batch of sangria. Several items on a tapas menu – such as olives, nuts, cheese, bread and cured meat – don’t require any cooking. Here’s a menu to get your tapas party started.
Tapas Menu
Marcona Almonds
Gazpacho “Shots” (served in tall shot glasses)
Spanish Cured Olives or any mixed olives
Spanish Tortilla Bites
(link to recipe below)
Patatas Bravas (fried spicy potatoes)
Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce)
Spanish Green Bean Salad with Pimientos
Garbanzo Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Spanish Cheese Platter: include Manchego (sheep’s milk cheese), Calabraza (Spanish blue cheese), Iberico (cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheese), Tetilla (soft cow’s milk cheese), Membrillo (quince paste – link to post about Membrillo below) and paper thin slices of Serrano Ham wrapped around store-bought breadsticks
Country-style Bread or Sourdough, sliced thin
Mini Delce de Leche Brownies (link to recipe below)
Caramel Flan
Sangria (link to recipe below)
Spanish red wine, such as Rioja, Garnacha or Tempranillo
Cava (Spanish sparkling white wine, similar to Champagne)
Spanish Cervesa (Beer), such as Mahou, Voll Damm and Mahou Negra
Spanish Tortilla Recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spanish-tortilla-recipe/index.html
Membrillo
http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/membrillo-quince-paste/
Dulce de Leche Brownie Recipe
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/06/dulce_de_leche.html
Sangria Recipe
http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/hip-twist-on-traditional-sangria/
Will definitely be using this when planning my tapas party this weekend!
This is a great list! I’m always looking for tapas ideas and seem to mainly find “small plates” rather than authentic Spanish tapas. Thanks!