Tapas help

[wandajune6]

Hi-

I'm having a dinner party for 10-12 people in a few weeks and am planning to serve tapas. While most of the crew is carniverous, I have a few picky carnivores, a vegan, and someone who only eats raw foods. Here's what I was thinking of serving:

marinated olives
marcona almonds
manchego cheese
lamb meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce
sizzling garlic shrimp
bacon-wrapped dates
pisto manchego
garlic potato salad or roasted potatoes with garlic aioli
some sort of all-raw salad

I was also considering serrano ham (thinly sliced), marinated mushrooms, and maybe a dressed-up crudite platter. And lots of great bread.

For dessert, I was thinking of candied walnuts, assorted dried fruit, and a few types of homemade cookies (I have a few vegan recipes that are great).

Does anyone have any other suggestions of what to add to the menu? Do you think that this will pass with a picky group? A vegan group? A raw group? My raw friend expects very little when invited to these sorts of things but I still want to take care of her.

Thanks so much!

[Emme]

i'd love to also see ceviche on there... it's raw, but cooked without heat... some raw foodists will eat it b/c it never hit a temperature of 110 or higher.

soup shooters http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/CarrotCorianderSoup.htm

you might do some marinated fruit salad for the raw foodies, and i know you've got a spanish theme going but you might purchase some sprouted beans and make a small salad for your raw-sies... i have a few raw friends, and like to accommodate them. this would work with the vegans too.

you could stuff endive leaves with some sort of tofu blended faux cheese mixture with herbs... for the raw foodies, endive leaves stuffed with salsa/marinated raw veggies

For the vegans...
here's a good recipe for marinated mushrooms http://vegetarian.about.com/od/sidevegetabledishes/r/tapasmushrooms.htm
Spanish Rice and Chickpea Salad
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/padleywood/snacks.html#Spanish_Rice_Salad_and_Chickpeas
Warm Potato Salad
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/p...

Hope something in there helps!

[Gail]

With you olives, why not make an antipasti platter; marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, cheeses, Italian meats. You could really dress it up to look wonderful and to satisfy all. I'd do the "great breads" with a couple of tempenades(sp)

[digkv]

Do olives count as "raw"? I mean, they've been treated with certain "chemicals" to remove bitterness and stuff so will that still make it raw? If it doesn't I think that may leave your raw friend hungry with just almonds and a salad. I know it's not "tapas" but would a white gazpacho work (without the bread)?

[wandajune6]

Good call on the olives! I just assumed that they were raw!

I like the raw gazpacho idea. Thanks!

[scubadoo97]

something with squid.
a traditional Spanish tortilla.
chickpeas and spinish
roasted peppers
rounds of goat cheese sitting on top of a puree of red peppers

[jjones21]

I second the chickpeas and spinach -- a godsend for a vegetarian traveling in Spain. If you google espinacas con garbanzos you will find some recipes.

I am stumped re: your raw friend. Good thing she is understanding!

[wandajune6]

Thanks for the spinach and chickpeas vote. I'm on it!

[wandajune6]

Those sound great. Thanks!

[morebubbles]

For your raw foods friend, how about making a raw ratatouille/pisto for her.

[wandajune6]

Sounds great. I don't suppose you've seen a recipe for that, have you? I've been google-ing away and am drawing a blank...

[morebubbles]

sorry, I don't find a recipe online either. Invent one. Raw eggplant cubes were good when I tasted them a while back. So I'd mix eggplant, zucchini, green &/or red pepper, tomatoes (all of these in similar-sized small cubes), maybe some red onion, then add cold pressed organic olive oil and some lemon juice, sea salt. taste & adjust.
A grated carrot & celeriac salad (or something similar) served in cucumber cups perhaps? wrapped in boston lettuce leaves?