I don’t know about you, but I am feelin’ it lately and not in a good way. This pandemic is never ending (it could be over though). The constant sorrow across the world is heavy and feels like it is endlessly refilling. On top of both of those behemoths, the end of summer sadness is real! I am fatigued, uninspired and defeated but I hold my head up and I look for beauty in the world around me and in memories of other times. I am safe, I am strong and I am so fortunate for my circumstances - say it again with me. I am safe, I am strong and I am so fortunate for my circumstances. Those vivid realities will never be lost on me. But in all of this, I am a warm blooded, deep feeling human and there is only so much my brain can filter and process. The last few weeks, or months really, have left me in quite a rut and that shows in my effort for creativity, but I am not one to miss a deadline (even if I’m the only one keeping track of that said date). When I began writing thoughts, memories and recipes on Shared Plates, I had this month of September slated as “The Re-Opening; One Night in Paris”. It was wishful thinking and I think until mid-July, I really thought we would be there, but the human condition had other plans. After the deep wound created by that note in my calendar had healed, I decided to pull my head out of my shell and declare “We need snacks for dinner!” Aaron responded with an “Amen, babe!”
Thoughtful, delicious snacks do not disappoint. Snacks are a global fare - whether it’s street food in Asia, some radishes and wedge of cheese in France or in the case of this very September newsletter, tapas in Spain. Snacks as a meal are a true delight.
We are focusing on the best kind of snacks this time around – drinking snacks, snacks created to make you drink more, snacks created to protect your drink – wait what? Tapas! Translation; a top, to cover a vessel. Spanish folklore has many different variations on the creation of the tapa but I connected with one in particular. The legend states - several hundred years ago a King was so annoyed by things (fruit flies) landing in his drink that he demanded a “top” to cover it. He was given a slice of ham, a piece of bread or a sliver of cheese with each new glass and so the tapa was born. A snack, with a drink or drink with a snack. Regardless, it created a distinctive style of food that has evolved over time and yet stayed incredibly simple, all the same.
Spaniards delight in some of the most incredible foods - cured meats, beautiful clean-yet-potent cheese, bread, wine – vermouth and sherry to be more specific, spices and flavors of North Africa, once exotic fruits like dates and pomegranates and the ever humble potato and mayonnaise combo. Most typical foods in Spain are rich in flavor and fats so eating them in small amounts is perfectly satisfying. Let’s journey down that road together, but first a ridiculous story, because I have to stay true to myself and that always involves a ridiculous story.
Because memories are part of my current joy, I have to share a story from my visit to Spain. Disclaimer - there is very little that is culturally Spanish about this story. In fact it is incredibly and ridiculously American. I was in college, because that’s when all my best travel happened, and my best friends were on a study abroad program in Barcelona. I decided to skip Thanksgiving at home and take that week break from school to visit my pals. I had just begun my humble cooking career and was filled with the confidence of all new line cooks. I was going to make a real Thanksgiving dinner for my friends. Their kitchen was the size of an office cubicle and unbeknownst to me, the turkey is actually a creature native to America and not widely available outside of the states. My friend Jacqueline and I set out to find “un pavo”. We visited a few grocery stores and had no luck, so we went to an old school butcher off Las Ramblas. We used our humble Spanish to request the all important bird. Sure enough, he had one! And man was that bird fresh, basically still gobbling, warm to the touch and covered in feathers. We carried that poor horrendous creature back to her apartment in a plastic grocery bag, on the subway no less. Upon further inspection we realized we really would need to put in some work to pluck it. Using a pair of eyebrow tweezers, we cleaned that thing up to the sterile, dimply, pale complexion we are all used to. Classes ended and Kate, Gabby and Tory returned to the apartment – yes, all my friends were together on this epic study abroad. Tory entered the kitchen, maybe looking for a quick bite of mashed potatoes or a glass of water and turned sheet white and nearly fainted when she saw feathers all over the floor and a bloody turkey in the sink. It may have been the endless bottles of perfect Spanish wine or the throbbing jetlag but I swear that turkey was, to this day, the best I’ve ever had.
Ok on to the menu part! There are tens of thousands of tapas served in Spain and around the world. Picking a few was incredibly hard and I wanted to keep this menu simple. There are some staples that deserve representation as well as some personal favorites, but everything can be put together and on the table in under an hour.
Yes, I did taste all of these drinks for this very letter. You do not need to go all out and buy and open everything listed. That being said Spanish wines are some of the most affordable on the market. There is a dry cider, a red and a white wine and a red vermouth included in the list. All are simple and easy drinking. I found the cider to have the most funk but after a few sips, it really grew on me. There is no formal dessert for this menu. We enjoyed the baked goat cheese and honey with a glass of vermouth and it was a perfect end to a snack-y dinner. Enjoy! - click the titles for recipe and website links
The Moody Tunes (a solid shoulder season vibe in my opinion) - and, as always, in perfect order, no need to shuffle
Bites: Pan de Tomate con Manchego (tomato bread and cheese) Chorizo Stuffed Dates in Spiced Tomato Sauce with Almond Crumble Roasted Goat Cheese with Honey Drizzle Serrano Ham with Melon and Aleppo Traditional Spanish Seafood Conserva (fancy canned seafood) with Butter and Crackers - Conserva de Cambados and Matiz
Drinks: Isastegi Dry Spanish Cider - chilled and/or over ice Muga Rioja 2019 - chilled Gulp Hablo Garnacha - slightly chilled El Bandarra Vermut Rojo - over ice
I am obsessed with you and shared plates!!