The Kitchen News: Spanish Tapas Participatory Dining Event

Spanish Tapas Participatory Dining Event

Friday, October 9

6:00-9:00 PM

This community-inspired menu celebrates the very best that Spanish cuisine has to offer!  Come celebrate delicious Spanish flavors in a night of tapas-style dining!

Tapas are traditional “small plates” originating in Spain.  Tapas can include cold plates – like olives and cheese, or hot plates – like chopitos, or fried baby squid.  Traditionally, friends will order multiple tapas dishes to be shared and enjoyed together at the bar.  Sharing tapas is meant to encourage conversation and community, while whetting the palate before the meal.

Join us in creating this traditional night of tapas!

Cheese & Charcuterie Board-Spanish meats and cheeses accompanied by marcona almonds, membrillo (quince paste) and crackers.

Olive Bread Swirls-Dough with swirls of olive tapenade, herbs, spices and anchovies

Pimentons Relleno de Atun-Red peppers stuffed with olive oil-poached tuna

Gambas al Ajillo-Garlicky shrimp with crusty bread

Papas Bravas-Fingerling potatoes in paprika aioli

Smokey Chicken Bites-Marinated chicken with garlic aioli

Apple Empanadas

The cost for this exciting event is $60. Pricing is per person. Full Bar will be available.

Please note that this is a participatory dinner. Cooking will begin 30 minutes after the posted start time. Dinner will be served roughly 1 1/2-2 hours later.

News: Study Finds Spicy Food to Have Health Benefits

According to a recent study, eating spicy food may help you to live longer as well as lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and respiratory disease.  So how often do you need to spice up your meals in order to see any change?  Eating the hot stuff once or twice a week results in a 10% reduction of overall risk of death, and eating spicy foods up to seven times a week reduces your risk by up to 14%. 

For the study, 485,000 participants were charted from 2004 – 2008 in a large Chinese health study.  Researchers found that participants who ate hot food- mainly chili peppers- once or twice a week (compared with participants who ate hot food less than once a week) were able to lower their overall risk of death by 10%.  Results were found after adjusting for family medical history, age, education, diabetes, smoking as well as other variables.   

What better way to celebrate than with a spicy recipe?

Spicy Harissa Yogurt Sauce

1 C Yogurt

2 Tbsp. Harissa

2 Cloves Garlic, mashed

2 C Fresh mint, minced

To Taste Kosher salt & Fresh ground black pepper

Whisk to combine and season to taste.

Q & A: What Does Heirloom Actually Mean?

All summer long we've been seeing "heirloom" at the Farmer's Markets and grocery store.  Whether tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant or even potatoes, it seems we can't get enough heirloom.  Shoppers have come to recognize bright colors, bumpy shapes and scars as a signifier of these special veggies, but what does "heirloom" actually mean?

There are three basic traits that determine whether a vegetable can be classified as heirloom or not: age, pollination and quality.

Age: Heirloom vegetables are grown from seeds that have been passed down through generations, usually at least 50 years.  Some classify heirlooms as vegetables introduced prior to 1951 when plant breeders first introduced hybrids.

Pollination: Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, meaning that they are pollinated naturally, relying on pollination from insects and the wind.  

Quality: Most consumers are drawn to heirloom veggies because their taste is of a much higher quality than their commercially grown grocery store counterparts.

Enjoy your heirlooms!