Tapas anyone?

I was trying to think of something different to make for my wine and food pairings we have on Saturday afternoon. I remembered one time when traveling, for my job at the time, going to a restaurant that served tapas. According to Wikapedia, " Tapas (Spanish Pronunciation:['tapas] is the name of a wide variety of appetizers or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chipitos, which are battered, fried baby squid.) In select bars in Spain and maybe in North America or the United Kingdom, tapas has evolved into and entire, and sometime sophisticated, cuisine. In Spain, patrons of Tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal."

We recently added products from Elki that were great tasting examples of tapas ingredients. Roasted red peppers, grilled artichokes and a sun dried tomato and olive relish among them. I made 4 combinations using the following items:

Combination 1:

1 roasted red pepper
plain Chevre cheese
dried basil
crostinis made with herbs and cayenne pepper.

Add 3/4 teaspoon of basil into 1/2 cup chevre cheese. Cut the pepper in half and fill each with half the cheese mixture. Roll the pepper to enclose the cheese and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to firm the cheese. Slice the peppers in 1/4 slices and lay on top of the crostinis.
These were very flavorful and I paired these with Childress Cabernet Sauvignon or Childress Syrah and the taste was great.

Combination 2:

grilled asparagus
Savory Pecan & Herb Wind& Willow Dip mix
Crostinis with herbs and cayenne pepper

Mix the Dip as directed using 1 cup Mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream. Spread the crostini with the dip mix then cut a section asparagus long enough to reach the length of the bread and split down the side. Lay the asparagus over the dip mixture. I paired this with Mattie Hatchet Semi-sweet Red wine from Valley River Vineyards. The smooth gentle sweetness blended well with the herbs and spice from the tapas.

Combination 3:

grilled artichoke
Greek Seasoning Blend (a lemony blend of herbs and spices)
plain crostinis

Pull the leaves of the artichoke apart and sprinkle lightly with the Greek seasoning. Allow them to marinate for about 20 minutes. Spread the leave over the bread to cover. This was great with Our Dog Blue Riesling from Chateau Marchette or Autumn Leaf Gold from Old North State Wineries. The light sweetness from the wines and the lemon flavor was a great combination.


Combination 4:

Stonewall Kitchens Sun dried Tomato and Olive relish
Plain chevre goat cheese
plain crostinis

Mix 1/2 cup chevre with 3T of the Relish mixture. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes to let the flavors combine. Spread the mixture on the crostinis. The relish has a sweet taste that blended nicely with the cheese. I paired this one with Rockhouse Meritage. A dry blend of Cabernet, Merlot and petite verdot. The dryness of the wine made the cheese and sweet taste even better.

Why not have a Tapas party and get a few friends to bring thier own versions. Good food, good friends , it doesn't get any better.For Questions or more info, you can call us at the shop at 828-586-1600.

Happy Eating,
Janet