Baby Shower "Tapas"/"Pintxos" for 20

[Okanagancook]

From Jose Andres' book, I made the green olives filled with piquillo peppers and anchovy on page 27....very good and a nice presentation. The squid with caramelized onions on page 147 is also excellent.

On the gluten free note, careful with cross contamination...separate cutting board and utensils for gluten containing items.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks everyone for the input. The Andres book was a real help.

Here's the current version of the menu:

aceitunas aliñadas

marinated olives

gambas al ajillo

shrimp with garlic

patatas bravas

fried potatoes with allioli

pollo con frutos secos

chicken with dried fruit

bottifarra amb montegetes

Catalan sausage with white beans

bunyols de bacalla

salt cod fritters

mejillones en escabeche

marinated mussels

anchoveta blanca pintxos

white anchovy pintxos

tortilla con champiñones, el pimiento y espárragos

mushroom, bell pepper & asparagus tortilla

cava y jerez

[ChrisTaylor]

I've just invited myself. Hope it's okay if I collapse on the sofa.

[Chris Amirault]

Figured out the two cheeses. Here's the recipe list, with books as follows:

• 
  CC: Catalan Cuisine, Colman Andrews
  CS: Culinaria's Spain Cookbook
  JA: Tapas, José Andres
  TL: Time/Life Cooking of Spain and Portugal

marinated olives (JA 23)

shrimp with garlic (JA 138)

fried potatoes with allioli (JA 51)

chicken with dried fruit (JA 225)

Catalan sausage with white beans (JA 234)

salt cod fritters (CC 149)

marinated mussels (CS 238)

white anchovy pintxos

mushroom, bell pepper & asparagus tortilla

montenebro & manchego cheese

allioli sauce (JA 22)

romescu sauce (TL 79)

I'll be winging anything that doesn't have a cookbook listed, and will also be making my own butifarra.

[Chris Amirault]

A few updates.

I'm grinding and stuffing the butifarra tonight. Decided to keep it simple, adding only a little sweet smoked paprika to the salt & pepper.

Scrapping the cava & sherry idea for a straight-up Regent's Punch with 1 + 1 = 3 cava, which my sources tell me is a bit yeastier than most cavas at this price. Also adding a non-alcoholic punch of some kind; if anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Budget looks to be about $300, or $15-20 pp depending on how many people show up. Trying to get the shopping list in decent shape today.

[JAZ]

Not really a punch, but this can be mixed up in batches: 2 parts grapefruit juice, 1 part tonic, hefty dose of Angostura bitters (or Fee Brothers if you have to be completely non-alcoholic). It's very refreshing and doesn't seem like a "kid's drink." I make it for non-drinkers all the time.

[Chris Amirault]

Oooh, I like the sound of that. I have some tonic syrup just right for the project, too.... Thanks!

[Chris Amirault]

Gearing up a bit more.

Ground & stuffed the butifarra last night and cooked one that had a burst casing. I think that the addition of a bit of smoked paprika was a good idea; it brings out the pork and will add to the beans.

Meanwhile, here's the prep sheet -- thus far -- for this event. There's enough wiggle room on Saturday for items on that long Friday list to carry over, which is of course exactly the point.

Way Ahead

• Review recipes against this schedule
  
• Make two shopping lists (prep & Friday)
  
• Do prep shop
  
• Soak cod
  
• Freeze ice block
  
• Carve ice block
  
• Prepare punch booze
  
• Marinate olives
  
• Soak & cook beans
  
• Defrost (?) sausage
  
• Chill cava

Friday

• Final shop
  
• Buy bread?
  
• Prep cod (& more?) for fritters
  
• Prep patatas bravas
  
• Prepare chicken & vacuum pack
  
• Prepare mussels & vacuum pack
  
• Prepare beans & vacuum pack
  
• Cook sausage
  
• Prepare tortilla
  
• Prepare allioli & romescu
  
• Prepare oleo saccharum & tea w KA

Saturday

8a:

• Prep shrimp
  
• Final prep for fritters
  
• Buy bread?

10a:

• Prepare patatas bravas
  serving platters, utensils, glassware, skewers, napkins, etc.

12n:

• Cheese to room temp
  
• Tortilla to room temp
  
• Prep SVS
  Plate & chill mussels
  Prep broiler & warming oven

1p:

• Brown & slice sausage
  
• Plate olives
  
• Finish punches
  
• Reheat chicken in SVS
  
• Reheat beans in SVS & slice sausage
  
• Prep fryer
  
• Plate romescu & allioli
  
• Make toasts

2p:

• Serve olives
  
• Serve chicken & sausage/beans
  
• Serve mussels
  
• Prepare & serve anchovy pintxos
  
• Serve tortilla
  
• Serve cheeses
  
• Serve punches

2:30-3p:

• Cook & serve shrimp
  
• Fry & serve patatas bravas
  
• Fry & serve fritters