Espana de Hawaii !

Spain Hawaiian Style!

Our International Cooking Club had the March Dinner at our house this month. Over 50 people showed up for Tapas Night and we had some truly amazing food. The weather tested us a few times, but we were able to spill out of the house on to the lanais during the evening. Here are a list of the dishes people brought for our Tapas Night:

• Marinated Pork Loin from the Moorish Town of Calatayud
• Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tortilla with home made Chorizo
• Catalyan Style Traditional Chicken Stew with Eggplant and Peppers
• Basque Eggs with Bell Pepper and Dill
• Sausage with Black Beans, Roasted Garlic & Pepper Cheese
• Croquetas de Bacalao (Cod Croquettes) with Aioli Sauce
• Albondigas
• Asparagus Spears with Smoked Salmon and Aioli Sauce
• Berejena con Andocas y Huevos (Eggplant with Anchovies and Egg)
• Roasted Peppers with Egg, Olive Oil, Salt and Garlic
• Marcona Almonds Andalusian Style
• Tortilla al Estilo Route 11 (Potato Chip Omelet with Kalamata Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Asiago Sprinkle)
• Ensalada Vasca (Basque Salad)
• Home Made Chicharrones !
• Marinated Mushrooms en adobo
• Mussels Ole'
• Espinacas con Garbanzos (Actually local Chard, Kale and Garbanzos)
• Tortilla al Estilo Route 11 (Potato Chip Omelette with Lardons, Garlic and Paprika)
• Crescent Pastries with Sherried Tarragon Crab Filling
• Chorizos & Peppers
• Broiled Jamon and Manchego Cheese Crostini from the La Mancha region of Spain
• Patatas con Ailoi (Potatoes with Garlic Mayonaise)
• Datiles con Tocino (Dates wrapped with Bacon in a Red Pepper Sauce)
• Pulpo Gallego (Octopus with Potatoes)
• Salad with two dressings, one Chipotle Vinaigrette
• Olive Oil Bread
• Pan con Chocolate, Aciete y Sal (Rustic Bread with Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil and Sea Salt
• Home made Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Crepes with Nutella
• Special Sangria al Paukaa
• LOTS of great Spanish Wines and a few domestic ones too
• Beers
• Iced tea
• Fruit Flavored Water

No, I do not have a photographic memory, I used the cards that we had in front of each dish to compile this list. Unfortunately, some may have been lost in the clean up, so if I missed your dish, I am sorry. As I copied all of this from the cards I realized that I missed tasting a lot of dishes as I was playing hostess. People grazed all night on the small plates and everything I did get a chance to taste was superb! Jim brought some really special wines and I did get to try those.

It was a fantastic evening of Aloha Spanish Style. Our group has some truly fantastic cooks and people that love to share food together. Many of the dishes were made with local ingredients and a few with imported Spanish Cheeses and Meats.

Many thanks go to the support team of Noel, Keith, Bonnie, Joey, Jim and Carey for coming early and helping us move furniture, set up tables and light over 40 candles (and keep them lit all night).

I can't wait to see what our April event is like!

If you are interested in joining our group, please send me an E-Mail

Here are some more pictures from the evening taken by Keith and Noel: