Tapas!

This particular cooking endeavor I can take very little credit for– I was merely one of several contributors to this evening of good food. My mother and Mrs. Kelly and I decided one day that some night we should experiment in Spanish cooking, and so sure enough, soon we were making tapas! Sheila taught me all about how to make Tortilla Espagnol, which will certainly be on the Red Kettle menu, among many other things from the other night. The list of menu items on this particular evening included: Crostini of numerous varieties, the Tortilla Espagnol, broiled green beans with sea salt, stuffed mushrooms, several experimental appetizers involving cheese, and of course, olives (because what would any evening of good food be without olives??)

Featured above, top, then left to right:

Tortilla Espagnol: potatoes and onions cooked in a ton of olive oil, with beaten eggs poured over, in a casserole dish and popped in the oven.

Very thinly sliced Parmesan, topped with really high quality, syrupy balsamic vinegar.

Mushrooms, stuffed with Parmesan, garlic, and something else (I took no part in this– mushrooms are not my fave.)

A Spanish raw sheep’s milk cheese the name of which eludes me, topped with roasted red pepper and thyme.

In the upper photograph are some of the several renditions of Crostini we made using ciabatta, including some with winter squash-goat cheese-smoked sea salt-red pepper flake-roasted garlic-paste and topped with sliced figs, some with anchovies, capers, and roasted red peppers, some with pear-mustard jam, some with olive tapenade, and some with pesto and goat cheese.

Not pictured here, prosciutto and spicy pickled red pepper-wrapped mozzarella, and the broiled green beans with sea salt and tons of olive oil, which I, personally, think give French fries a run for their money. You know those money-laden French fries.

Things I learned (which I’d heard, but which it is important to experience for oneself):

1. Presentation ought to be high on the list of priorities, because who’d have thought cheese and balsamic vinegar could look so tasty — so much tastier — all lined up?

2. Tortilla Espagnol is perfect for a college-girl’s budget: potatoes, eggs, onions, and olive oil– a cheap and tasty meal that can look truly fab (see number 1).

3. (I kind of already knew this, but…) I want to go to SPAIN.

I’m done.