Tapas were invented as a quick snack for horsemen riding into an inn.
Hola! Would you like to create a memorable party with little effort? If so, then tapas are the way to go. On Thursday, February 9, we will be cooking Spanish Tapas for our February cooking class. Maybe you are planning a little winter party for friends or a dinner for your sweetheart on Valentines’s Day. Or maybe like me you have enjoyed tapas in Spain and want to recreate them at home. Let’s plan a Tapas Party together – light, small dishes meant for immediate gratification and more time for conversation or romance!
Sevilla’s April Fair
One of my favorite vacations was in April 2010 when we visited Spain – Barcelona and in the Costa del Sol where we had an apartment near the Mediterranean Sea. Every day we took off in our rented car and visited new sights – Granada, Malaga, Cordoba, Gibraltar, the Pueblos Blanca, Rondo and Sevilla. All the villages were wonderful in their own way, but we really fell in love with Sevilla. Why? Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time and for us that was Sevilla.
A family dressed in traditional flamenco dresses for the April Fair.
After seeing mucho senoras in their fancy flamenco dresses in the streets of Sevilla, we complimented them and asked in un poco Espanol where they were all going. They said – The April Fair. They said we should follow them – and of course we did. We talked to people that had traveled from all over Spain to be here for the 100th anniversary of the April Fair. Imagine our luck for having wandered into this gem of an event which drove home for me what the Andalusian culture was all about.
Each region of Spain had its own booth and flamenco dancers.
Our view was a sea of colorful costumes – I’m talking thousands of women, men and children dancing flamenco, drinking, eating tapas and riding on Andalusian horses and carriages. The atmosphere was similar to a combination of the Rose Parade and the Minnesota State Fair I grew up with, but waaay classier and instead of fried cheese sticks, they were eating fried empanadas with Sangria flowing everywhere.
A picture of Andalusian culture
I picked up some books on tapas at the library to get inspiration for our Tapas class and there in a book called “A Flavor of Andalusia” I saw a picture like mine from the April Fair with a caption, “Tapas were invented as a quick snack for horsemen riding into an inn.” And so now when I eat and prepare tapas, I will forever be transported back into the day in 2010 that we spent at the April Fair in Sevilla.
Spain is famous for its Iberico ham, manchego cheese and olives.
Come join me as we cook traditional Spanish Tapas in our February 9 Cooking Class, 6:00 to 9:00 at the Holy Nativity Community Hall in Westchester, CA. Cook, meet new friends, party and enjoy a glass of wine on a weeknight. What could be more fun?! On the menu so far are:
- Tortilla a la Espanola with Mexican Chorizo
- Pork & Raisin Empanadas
- Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese
- Manchego Cheese & Spanish Olives
- Asparagus wrapped with Iberico Ham*
Cooking Class fee $40 when you reserve by February 6, $45 at the door. To reserve your spot, email Patricia@FreshFoodinaFlash.com. Then write a check to “Fresh Food in a Flash”; mail it to Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Cooking Class, 6700 West 83rd Street, Westchester, CA 90045.
*or similar
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