Barcelona on a Board

Indulge this holiday with an Instagram-worthy Spanish charcuterie spread

Indulge this holiday with an Instagram-worthy Spanish charcuterie spread

Whether it be tapas bites or a pan of paella, Spanish food is designed to bring people together over a shared experience (remember: just your household this year!). Three cheeses—including the popular Drunken Goat—represent three distinct regions of Spain. A Spanish board would also not be complete without a spoon of quince paste for sweetness, a dish of olives for brine and the famous Spanish nut—the Marcona almond—for a rich crunch.

 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups total black and green grapes on the vine
  • 8 dates
  • 3 links chorizo, cured, 
  • Serrano ham, 16 very thin slices
  • 5 oz Drunken Goat cheese
  • 6 oz manchego cheese
  • 5 oz Iberico cheese
  • 8 Tbsp (3 oz) Cabrales cheese
  • ¾ cup mixed olives 
  • ? cup Marcona almonds
  • 1 tbsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
  • ¼ cup quince paste
  • 1 long loaf crusty bread
  •  Fresh figs, for garnish
  • Pea shoots, for garnish
  • Romesco sauce (recipe below)

Preparation

  1. Make the Romesco sauce and serve in a bowl (recipe below).
  2. Prepare the dates: Make a small incision in each date, remove the pit and stuff each date with 1 tbsp Cabrales cheese.
  3. Slice about 1½ of the chorizo links into ¼? slices, leaving at least 1 link whole for the board.
  4. In a small bowl, toss the almonds with the smoked paprika and serve scattered around the board
  5. Slice the bread into ½? slices.
  6. Prepare the other components in the style that works best for you, then arrange everything on and around your board. Top with optional garnishes.

Tips

  • Romesco sauce is a classic Spanish dip made with roasted red peppers. It is addictively good and can be used as a pasta sauce or spooned over grilled chicken. Consider doubling the recipe and freezing the extra for another meal.
  • Other beautiful combinations on this board are a blue cheese–stuffed date wrapped in a small piece of serrano; bread topped with a slice of Manchego and a dollop of quince paste; and a thin slice of Drunken Goat and a schmear of Romesco atop a slice of bread. 

 

Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts on, toasted and torn into bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup toasted whole almonds
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 large jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 large beefsteak tomato, quartered, or 2 Roma, halved
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions

  1. To a food processor, add the toast pieces, almonds, paprika, salt and sugar and pulse until you have a crumb mixture. Pour the crumb mixture into a medium bowl.
  2. Place the bell peppers, garlic, tomato, tomato paste, olive oil and vinegar in the food processor and blend until fairly smooth.
  3. Empty the pepper-tomato mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the crumb mixture a spoonful at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. A thicker consistency (more crumbs in the mixture) makes a great dip, and a thinner consistency (fewer crumbs in the mixture) makes for a great pasta sauce or a basting sauce for chicken or shrimp.

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Makes 2 cups.

 

 

Excerpted from On Boards: Simple & Inspiring Recipe Ideas to Share at Every Gathering. Copyright © 2018 Lisa Bolton. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher.