Sherry and Tapas
Discussion
Chaps,
Mrs zcacogp and I are throwing a party next weekend (not New Years, but the day after.) Mrs zcacogp's great idea was to make it a Sherry and Tapas party, which sounds most appealing.
Snag is that we know nothing about Sherry and have never been to Spain. So, two questions:
1. Can someone point me to a very simple overview of Sherry, or (better) some advice on what sort we should be buying. We are expecting around 40 people, so a reasonable range (from dry to sweet) would be great to offer guests.
2. What would YOU expect from a Sherry and Tapas party? What sorts of tapas? We are thinking something like a Pattata, a Spanish Omlette, quite a lot of cold meats, some Manchego and Quince Paste, some Chorizo cooked in red wine, possibly a bowl of Paella ... what else?
All suggestions welcomed - thanks.
Oli.
Mrs zcacogp and I are throwing a party next weekend (not New Years, but the day after.) Mrs zcacogp's great idea was to make it a Sherry and Tapas party, which sounds most appealing.
Snag is that we know nothing about Sherry and have never been to Spain. So, two questions:
1. Can someone point me to a very simple overview of Sherry, or (better) some advice on what sort we should be buying. We are expecting around 40 people, so a reasonable range (from dry to sweet) would be great to offer guests.
2. What would YOU expect from a Sherry and Tapas party? What sorts of tapas? We are thinking something like a Pattata, a Spanish Omlette, quite a lot of cold meats, some Manchego and Quince Paste, some Chorizo cooked in red wine, possibly a bowl of Paella ... what else?
All suggestions welcomed - thanks.
Oli.
With tapas a Fino served chilled. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fino
Also an Amontillado for meatier dishes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amontillado
Also an Amontillado for meatier dishes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amontillado
Edited by whitechief on Tuesday 28th December 17:28
Mr Roper said:
I was grazing on Tapas a couple of weeks back in Girona. They gave us a plate of cooked green peppers which one in ten is hot. Not sure of the name but they tasted excellent and with the added lottery of heat it went down well.
Pimientos du padron - very tasty simply fried for a few minutes with a bit of sea salt.I would do some small meatballs with a tomato sauce, some roast potatoes (patatas bravas) and you must flash fry some fresh squid rings in seasoned flour.
I also do dry fried tortilla pizzas - spread some chutney over a tortilla, add grated cheese, top with another tortilla and cook for three mins each side. Cut in to pizza triangles and enjoy.
You'll want some good olives, some pickled shallots and I'd also hard-boil some good eggs, peel, cut in half and add a dolop of salad cream. Finish with an anchovy fillet draped over the top and add a sprinkle of fresh parsley. It may not be Spanish and bordering on retro, but it tastes great and that's what it's all about.
My final suggestion (yawn) is halloumi, dry fried in a non-stick pan, on a good savoury cracker or lettuce leaf, with some cranberry sauce on top, again finished with parsley.
Good luck and post some pictures.
Good suggestions above!
I would also add:
- Chorizo (must be cooking chorizo) baked in cider
- garlic & herb bread, tomato bread (rub with garlic, lightly coat with oo, spread with tom puree and s&p etc)
- prawn, chilli & garlic pil pil
- garlic and herb mushrooms
With the exception of the prawns, the rest can be prepped in advance and simply reheated.
Love tapas!
I would also add:
- Chorizo (must be cooking chorizo) baked in cider
- garlic & herb bread, tomato bread (rub with garlic, lightly coat with oo, spread with tom puree and s&p etc)
- prawn, chilli & garlic pil pil
- garlic and herb mushrooms
With the exception of the prawns, the rest can be prepped in advance and simply reheated.
Love tapas!
d. I forgot about gambas pil pil.
Mr Roper said:
I was grazing on Tapas a couple of weeks back in Girona. They gave us a plate of cooked green peppers which one in ten is hot. Not sure of the name but they tasted excellent and with the added lottery of heat it went down well.
These are available in Waitrose if you need to buy them£20 from all good bookshops:
http://www.phaidon.co.uk/store/food-cook/the-book-...
I have this book and it is frankly amazing. fresh mussels with lemon juice & salsa are a personal fave.
no idea re: sherry sorry. don't forget the vermouth.
http://www.phaidon.co.uk/store/food-cook/the-book-...
I have this book and it is frankly amazing. fresh mussels with lemon juice & salsa are a personal fave.
no idea re: sherry sorry. don't forget the vermouth.
Guys,
Lots of great ideas - thanks very much.
One more question. Which will be so stupid you need to be sitting down to read it ... how much sherry do people drink? Do you cater along the lines of wine (one bottle for two people, or so), or spirits (one bottle for 10 people, or so. OK, maybe I have managed a bottle of good scotch in an evening between three, but that was a long evening and ... anyway, I digress ... )
So, evening party. With tapas. 40-or so people. How many bottles of sherry should we buy?
Oli.
Lots of great ideas - thanks very much.
One more question. Which will be so stupid you need to be sitting down to read it ... how much sherry do people drink? Do you cater along the lines of wine (one bottle for two people, or so), or spirits (one bottle for 10 people, or so. OK, maybe I have managed a bottle of good scotch in an evening between three, but that was a long evening and ... anyway, I digress ... )
So, evening party. With tapas. 40-or so people. How many bottles of sherry should we buy?
Oli.
Just consider your friends are any of them closet alchies who will drink a bottle to themselves? Are your friends big drinkers? what about those who don't do sherry any alternative you could offer maybe Spanish beer, or some Sangria not traditional but it may be better to be a good host with a range of drinks than a stickler leaving people drinking something they wouldn't choose.
Thooroughly recommend http://www.pinchito.co.uk/menus-events/ for inspiration - City Road or West End - for inspiration - best Tapas I've had in UK.
Particularly recommend Hanger Steak - rare beef seared in fillets and sliced served with a spiced mayo/aoli scattered with rock salt, also octopus with broken potatoes, same mayo.
Concur with Pimento de Padrons.
Particularly recommend Hanger Steak - rare beef seared in fillets and sliced served with a spiced mayo/aoli scattered with rock salt, also octopus with broken potatoes, same mayo.
Concur with Pimento de Padrons.
Ensaladilla Russa still missing
Cook potatoes the way you do for potatoe salad and marinade in some sherry vinegar, add 1/3 each green beans, peas and carrot cubes which have been blanched but are still crunchy, add some homemade mayonaise, 1 small can of tuna and a hard boiled sliced egg, salt, pepper and mix carefully - tapa heaven....
Also if ham is used and you can afford try some pata negra ham and serve a plate of crusty bread, toaseted to near burning point, rubbed with a clove garlick, a tomatoe and drizzled with olive oil
Have a great party
My I suggest a few bottles of Cava (No fancy brands - sainsbury's and waitrose standard is fine)for the non sherry drinkers
Try a few Sherrys and if you do not like fino too much a manzanilla (try la Guita) is a good alternative - as dry but with a more spicy tangue
Cook potatoes the way you do for potatoe salad and marinade in some sherry vinegar, add 1/3 each green beans, peas and carrot cubes which have been blanched but are still crunchy, add some homemade mayonaise, 1 small can of tuna and a hard boiled sliced egg, salt, pepper and mix carefully - tapa heaven....
Also if ham is used and you can afford try some pata negra ham and serve a plate of crusty bread, toaseted to near burning point, rubbed with a clove garlick, a tomatoe and drizzled with olive oil
Have a great party
My I suggest a few bottles of Cava (No fancy brands - sainsbury's and waitrose standard is fine)for the non sherry drinkers
Try a few Sherrys and if you do not like fino too much a manzanilla (try la Guita) is a good alternative - as dry but with a more spicy tangue
Chaps,
Quick update/conclusion. The party was a great success - many thanks for your helpful suggestions. I'm not sure how many people came (suspect it was 45+), but they all seemed to enjoy it. In the end we did a smaller number of simpler dishes; paella (stupidly easy - much easier than a risotto), patatas bravas (easy and good in large quantities), eggs with mayonnaise and cured meat, chorizo with red wine (again, stupidly easy), toasted bread with tampanade (tampenade made in advance in large quantities), and manchego and quince paste. And baked tomatos with olives and olive oil. And a large cheese board. (And some home-made mince pie whirls that we had made but didn’t intend to serve, which were on a plate in the kitchen but someone discovered and scoffed!)
I have also decided I don’t like sherry. Not my drink. Although I'll make an exception for the Amontillado; that wasn't bad. At all ...
No photos - sorry - but huge fun all the same. Just need inspiration for the next one. We did Port and Stilton a couple of years ago. Perhaps a Single Malt and Shortbread one next time ... perhaps ...
Oli.
Quick update/conclusion. The party was a great success - many thanks for your helpful suggestions. I'm not sure how many people came (suspect it was 45+), but they all seemed to enjoy it. In the end we did a smaller number of simpler dishes; paella (stupidly easy - much easier than a risotto), patatas bravas (easy and good in large quantities), eggs with mayonnaise and cured meat, chorizo with red wine (again, stupidly easy), toasted bread with tampanade (tampenade made in advance in large quantities), and manchego and quince paste. And baked tomatos with olives and olive oil. And a large cheese board. (And some home-made mince pie whirls that we had made but didn’t intend to serve, which were on a plate in the kitchen but someone discovered and scoffed!)
I have also decided I don’t like sherry. Not my drink. Although I'll make an exception for the Amontillado; that wasn't bad. At all ...
No photos - sorry - but huge fun all the same. Just need inspiration for the next one. We did Port and Stilton a couple of years ago. Perhaps a Single Malt and Shortbread one next time ... perhaps ...
Oli.
I'm pleased it went well. I did a Christmas foody gathering and did spiced meatballs, roast goose fat potatoes (don't tell the veggie who loved them!), home made sausage rolls, smoked salmon cocktail on baby gem leaves with dill and grilled haloumi with cranberry sauce on sesame crackers.
If you make the effort and don't take the easy route (which you obviously didn't ) people do appreciate it.
If I never had to eat another ASDA bhaji, samosa or sausage roll again at christmas I'd be a happy man.
Hope you don't mind the thread hijack with this pic:
If you make the effort and don't take the easy route (which you obviously didn't ) people do appreciate it.
If I never had to eat another ASDA bhaji, samosa or sausage roll again at christmas I'd be a happy man.
Hope you don't mind the thread hijack with this pic:
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