Tapas suggestions

[mom_to_zoe]

I am hosting a party next week and I have decided on a Spanish/tapas theme, mostly because I want to make sangria. I need suggestions for some good dishes, but unfortunately, I cannot use pork or shellfish. (DH's rule.)

Here is what I have so far:
grilled (chicken) sausages
grilled asparagus with tomato sauce
a Catalan potato salad
a tortilla espagnol

Any other ideas? TIA!

[msnicolea]

Assorted olives are a nice addtion, as would be a tray of some spanish cheeses (http://www.cheesefromspain.com/CFS/Portada.htm)

You could make some sort of empamanadas, and stuffed peppers would be good, too.

Here is a pretty extensive list of some recipe options:

http://www.chefnorm.com/tapas.html

[meatpie]

Chicken/beef satay. (easy recipe on epicurious.com and you can do a search by appetizers for more ideas on that website)
Stuffed mushrooms

All I can think of now...

[tlew12778]

I was just in Spain a couple weeks ago... for tapas one night we had:
- grilled veggies - asparagus, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes
- garlic shrimp
- spanish omelette
- fried calamari

Definitely serve aioli (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_aioli.htm). It's soooo good on bread.

[beachlvr]

What about goat cheese baked in tomato sauce? It's one of my favorites.

[EJM]

I love Manchengo cheese! One of my favorite tapas is a plate of bread with a fresh tomato spread, manchengo cheese, cured meats, and a few olives.

Do you know how to make paella? The no pork or shellfish makes it tough, those are usually the meats we use in ours (although could easily be substituted), but it is make ahead and can serve a ton of people.

[amew]

I live the goat cheese and tomato sauce dish -- so good!

In addition to things that have been mentioned, when we go out for tapas, we often get:

marinated portabello mushrooms
grilled or fried calamari (are cephlapods considered shellfish for purposes of the kosher rules?)
cheese and fruit
cubes of beef grilled on a skewer served with garlic aioli
spinach-artichoke dip with pita wedges (maybe not the most authentic, but everyone tend to like it and our favorite tapas restaurant serves it)
fried smoked chicken ravioli
olives
empanadas

[alootikki]

Little toasts spread with olive tapenade?

And it's not authentic, but goes well with sangria: quesadillas - you could make a variety of fillings.

[zayt]

Anyone else have any more suggestions? I am having friends over for tapas next week.

[luvnbeng]

Try my garlic shrimp recipe. It can be used for tapas, with some grilled bread, or also as a main course:

Garlic Shrimp (serves 4 as a main course)

4 Tbs. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1tsp. sweet paprika
2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. dry sherry
salt & freshly ground pepper

Toss together all the ingredients and immediately pour the mixture into a large sauté pan. Cook, turning once, until shrimp pink and opaque throughout, about 4 – 5 minutes. Serve immediately with a fresh baguette or other crusty warm bread.

Also, you can pick up some chorizo (spanish sausages) and cut them into little disks and cook them in a frying pan with water (a lot of the fat will render out of them). Very tasty!

[Mrs. M.]

Dates wrapped in bacon and baked.

Love them!