My friend Stacey was kind enough to host the dinner at her penthouse apartment with terrace and it was absolutely the perfect setting. I had a scare at the beginning of the evening when I burned my hand on some broth for the paella. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help finish the preparations - the dinner turned out to be a huge success.
The Tapas:
The great thing about tapas is that they can be extremely easy and straightforward. You can never go wrong with a good cheese tray. I chose a selection of three Spanish cheeses as well as Serrano ham. I also served some Marcona almonds and anchovy-stuffed olives.
Although I purchased my olives already prepared, I found this recipes for olives with herbs that looked easy and good:
http://www.euroresidentes.com/euroresiuk/Recipies/tapas/olives-herb-sauce.htm
This tomato and basil salad was excellent, serving as both appetizer and side dish. The quality of the tomatoes is of course key.
http://www.euroresidentes.com/euroresiuk/Recipies/tomato_basil_salad.htm
One of my favorite tapas in the world is the garlic shrimp served sizzling in olive oil. The recipe I chose called for a little bit of hot pepper and smoked paprika (pimenton).
http://www.tienda.com/recipes/sizzledshrimp.html
My other all-time favorite small plate is sauteed chorizo. This recipe caught my eye because of the addition of red wine. For both the shrimp as well as the chorizo be sure to serve plenty of extra bread to soak up the extra juice.
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/sauteed-chorizo-red-wine.aspx?nterms=53630
The Paella:
OK, now for the main event. First, I had to make a decision on whether or not to buy a traditional paella pan. I wasn't sure how much I would actually use it; however, the paella pan was supposedly a key ingredient in making a traditional paella with soccarat, etc., etc. I discovered they were really not all that expensive (about $30 for a large one) so decided to go for it.
After reading through many paella recipes I finally decided on this one made with shrimp, clams and mussels:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/paella-shrimp-clams-mussels.aspx?nterms=53630&ac=fp
I learned a few really interesting techniques from this recipe. First, the recipe calls for infusing the saffron in simmering clam juice. I can tell you from experience this works much, much better than using water or other liquid that is simply "hot." The yellow color was intense, which is a big part of the point. Second, the recipe called for cutting the tomato in half and grating it to make the sofrito, the combination of pureed tomato, onions, and garlic that forms the flavor base for the dish. Grating the tomato was a completely ingenious way to puree the fleshy part of the tomato while at the same time efficiently separating it from the skin.
One other tip to keep in mind: soak the clams in a bowl of cold water for at least a half hour before cooking to eliminate any sand.
The things that make this dish really special are the sofrito, which releases a wonderful aroma while cooking, the shellfish/saffron broth, and of course that traditional Spanish paella rice that soaks up all the liquid. Here is a picture of the dish of honor while it finishes cooking on the barbecue:
And here is an extra pic of Matt, myself, and Stacy posing near the paella:
The Desserts:
I attempted to make an authentic Spanish dessert called tocinillo de cielo ("Heavens little pig") which looks similar to flan. I'm sure the dish is delicious; however, the recipe I chose had vague instructions and suffice it to say the results were disastrous. Take a look at the recipe and you'll see what I mean: http://www.spain-recipes.com/tocinillo-cielo.html
Reminder to self: never try to "wing it" when it comes to desserts, baking is an exact science.
Since I could not subject my guests to my failed Spanish dessert experiment, I served some delicious purchased goodies instead: chocolate mousse cake and lemon merigue pie. Authenticity isn't everything.
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