Tapas

It all started with R and V giving K a gorgeous set of tapas bowls. Somehow the idea was born that K and I should cook up a storm and host a tapas evening, for a group of friends.

When you're catering for eleven people, even 'small dishes' are effectively a meal each. Accordingly, perhaps we were a little over ambitious, but this is the first time K has experimented with this cuisine, so there's a desire to try everything.

After early nibbles of olives, hummus, pita bread for dipping, the dishes prepared (from memory) included: cod and tuna chunks in lemon and spice marinade, tangy spare ribs, lamb skewers, meatballs in tomato sauce, patatas bravas, chicken in honey and mustard, aubergine fritters topped with tomato and cream cheese, ciabata topped with black pudding and onion chutney, toasted french bread with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese, chorizo cooked in red wine with shallots and cherry tomatoes, field mushrooms stuffed with stilton and breadcrumb, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, slices of mozarella and beef tomatoes dressed with olive oil and basil and numerous others that I can't recall.

The sangria flowed (very) freely and a good time was had by all.

Almost worth the full day of planning, shopping, chopping, preparation and cooking.

Now I don't want to worry anyone, but we got through the best part of a litre of finest olive oil...