Super Bowl Party Theme: Spanish Tapas

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Feb 1st 2006 @ 2:30PM

tapas What are tapas? They're small portions of easy-to-eat foods that accompany drinks. What is the Super Bowl? An opportunity for people to eat and drink (and watch some football). Was this a match made in the locker room or what?

For drinks, nothing beats pitchers of ice-cold sangria.
Start easy with a plate of Spanish meats, cheeses, olives, dried fruits, and nuts. Andrew has given us the best guide to Serrano ham, a slightly drier version of Italian prosciutto, Manchego cheese, and all of their siblings. As always, nuts and dried fruits are perfect accompaniments, like Marcona almonds, dried figs and apricots, and quince paste.
Braising Spanish chorizo in a red wine like rioja is easy, and sausage seems to match the event.
Everyone loves French fries, and while Spanish patatas bravas aren't the same thing, they're fairly close - deep fried or oven-roasted with a lot of oil, then served with a spicy tomato sauce, which is so much better than ketchup.
Croquetas are small fried balls or cakes. These can be made with just about anything, but I've made them with salmon. You can use ground chicken or even chopped Serrano ham (both of which I've seen and tasted - excellent).
Spanish foods use a lot of garlic and a lot of lemon. Shrimp in a simple garlic and lemon sauce is easy and fast to make (good for you) and tastes sooo good, especially if you make it the night before (good for your guests).
While they're not necessarily Spanish, bacon-wrapped dates are all the rage - something about the sticky sweetness of the dates beaten into submission by the smoky saltiness of bacon and cheese. I tried some at LA's AOC, then re-created them at home. Simpy remove the pits from the dates by making a lengthwise cut. Stuff a small rectangle of cheese inside, then wrap the date with bacon. Using a half slice is a good idea if your dates are smaller. I used Brie cheese, which was a bad idea because the cheese melted before the bacon cooked, so stick with something in the same family as parmesan. To secure the bacon, use a toothpick, but I didn't and it worked out fine. Broil the dates on one side for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and broil for another 4-5 minutes until the bacon is cooked. Make a lot - a whole baking sheet of these at my party disappeared in 10 minutes,

Filed Under: Lists, Ingredients, Drink Recipes, How To
Tags: appetizers, cheese, condiments, europe, fish, food, food and drink, food and wine, grains, hors doeuvres, nuts, poultry, seeds, shellfish, spices, Super Bowl, super bowl party, SuperBowl, vegetables, wine

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-01-2006 @4:29PM Dmnkly said... I've done bacon-wrapped dates for a few gatherings... or pancetta-wrapped, as the case may be. I generally use some type of firm Spanish goat cheese. Try them with some balsamic. I reduce some balsamic vinegar by about 2/3rds, whisk in a little honey and then use that as a glaze. Good stuff.
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2-01-2006 @4:36PM sarah said... ah! dmnkly! thank you! i was wondering what suzanne goin was putting on her bacon wrapped dates at AOC that made them so glossy! i figured it was some sort of glaze, but didn't bother to find out for my party.

now i think it was some sort of honey or other sweetened, reduced vinegar!

thank you!
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