The Spanish custom of serving "tapas" (literally "lids") as cooking samples has been popularized all over the world as a new cuisine. Tapas are generally consumed by a group. Numerous small dishes are served and everyone samples each one. To create a good tray of tapas, select complimentary foods, or an array of choices that represents the different kinds of offerings available.
Instructions
1. Consider a sausage plate. Spaniards in many of the autonomous communities are known for their own regional types of sausage. Regional sausages like chorizo, fuet, or the cloved morcilla (blood sausage) add meat to the menu. These types of food are made by professionals. You can buy some of these at your local supermarket. Morcilla, on the other hand, is usually sold only at authentic latino stores. To serve, just heat sausages as you like and cut into thin slices. (Morcilla should not be cut into slices but served as whole links.)
2. Add seafood. Calamari is a favorite. Other seafood tapas include bunuelos de bacalao (breaded cod) and a variety of shrimp dishes. Some of the shrimp recipes are fairly easy. For calamari, roll squid rings in a light flour mix and fry at a static temperature.
3. Don't neglect the cheeses. From Brie to the Spanish dry cheese manchego, cheeses are a staple of the tapas menu. The cheeses on a tapas tray are just sliced or cubed onto a plate.
4. Add vegetables. Roasted peppers and eggplants are a popular vegetable portion of the tapas tray. Other vegetable fare is served on small pieces of bread. And, of course, olives are always a good addition. The eggplant/pepper mix can be roasted in the oven or fried in oil until soft and served in small strips.
5. Mix light and heavy tapas. Make sure there is a solid dish that will be at least moderately filling.
Tags: sausages like, served small