Tapas Tonight

In the mood for a lingering evening with good food and friends? Try some tapas. Spanish for "little bites," tapas invites conversation in the kitchen as course after little course of savory morsels are prepared over glasses of red Spanish wine and easy laughter.

Start with cold marinated bites, build towards savory meats and roasted vegetables, finally ending with something dark and sweet. You can prepare tapas from scratch and follow recipes from a classic recipe book or you can artfully arrange store-bought ingredients. Combine both approaches to balance preparation and serving time.

Marinated olives can be found in most grocery stores, or you can easily marinate a jar large green olives. Juice a lemon and sprinkle with Spanish olive oil. Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic and toss in some fresh herbs like fennel and thyme. You can spice up the marinade with red chili flakes or  2 small fresh red chilies.


 A good white, aged artisan cheese will go well at the start of your tapas. Crumble the cheese and serve at room temperature for the best flavor.


Fresh mozzerella pairs well with thinly sliced and folded Genoa salami. Arrange a platter of cold tapas to begin the evening. Nibble and visit with guests over these beginning little bites and get started on the next courses.


Cherry tomatoes are easy to stuff with a variety of mixtures. This tapas is an easy mix of crab, mayonaise and parsley. Slice the top off each cherry tomato, scoop out the seeds and stuff wit the crab mixture.


Chorizo empanadillas are easy with fillo dough. First remove chorizo sausage from casings and fry with three cloves of crushed garlic. Carefully cut each fillo sheet into thirds and fold each third into a single square. Place a spoonful of cooked chorizo in the middle and fold diagonally to create a triangular packet. Seal edges with a smear of water and press. Sprinkle with smoked paprika.


Trim the edges of 12 asparagus and wrap each one with a slice of Spanish mountain ham or Italian prosciutto. Coat a shallow roasting pan with olive oil and place each wrapped spear in the pan. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and place in a 400 degree oven for 10-minutes until roasted.


This is a popular and quick tapas, chicken in lemon and garlic. Saute a chopped onion and 6 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Slice 4 chicken breasts and add to the onions and garlic, stirring as it cooks. Add the juice and zest of a lemon once the chicken is cooked through. Continue until the liquid bubbles. Sprinkle with parsley and smoked paprika. Serve with crustry bread.


The evening of tapas finally comes to a close. Chocolate is a nice way to signal the end. Newman's Organics makes a great dark-chocolate, bite-sized, alphabet cookie that is not too sweet. Serve with tiramasu mascapone for an elegant, but easy dessert, keeping with the theme of "little bites."