How to Host a Tapas Party

As a Spaniard I'm really proud of our food. Eating well is not only a pleasure for us but also part of our culture. On today's post I'd like to show you what goes into eating, entertaining and drinking like we do. There's no better way to do that than showing you how to host a tapas party. Let's start with the basics:

• The main idea is serving a series of shareable small colorful plates. Don't divide your meal into starters, entrees and sides. Here, any dish can be the star of the show. 
• Tapas are appropriate for any time of day or night. 
• They are designed to be eaten while standing up. You hold a tapa with one hand and your drink with the other (beer, wine, cider or sangria are our favorites). 
• Most of them are finger food. 
• You don't have to worry about food getting cold, tapas are served at room temperature.

The list of tapas you can make is endless but here's a roundup of my favorites:

• Steamed mussels with diced tomato, green pepper and onion on top.
• Olives with different dressings.
• Spanish omelette (recipe).
• Cheese platter (must include at least one wedge of Manchego cheese).
• Fried morcilla (black pudding) served with foie-gras and bread sticks.
• Croquetas (croquettes). They are usually made with ham but the ones in the photo above were made with cecina which is cured meat that may remind you of beef jerky.
• Fish meatballs.
• Bread slices with a slice of ham and a fried quail egg on top.

Another favorite of mine is this tapa riojana I posted last February. I recommend you to read the article because I also explain where the word tapa comes from.

I've already numbered the drinks we usually order. However, I didn't mention the star of the summer gazpacho (recipe). On this particular occasion I opted for a sangria pitcher.  Make your own sangria following the recipe below.

What was your favorite dish? Would you like to host a tapas party?
xo Cristina