Tapas Sunday

In my house we have a "Pizza Friday" tradition, as I mentioned in my post White Pizza with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Manchego. Starting this week, we have a new tradition: Tapas Sunday!

I go to the farmer's market every Sunday morning, and when I get back I am always eager to cook something up. Tapas are the perfect way to try a taste of several ingredients without depleting our supply for the week ahead.

What are tapas? Tapas are a Spanish tradition: simply prepared small snacks meant to accompany a glass of beer or wine. They're becoming increasingly popular all over the United States as well. Tapas bars offer a selection of wine, beer, and small snacks like olives, garlic shrimp, or herbed almonds.

For our initial Tapas Sunday, I made Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas, Patatas Bravas, and sauteed Padron peppers. Alongside these yummy treats we drank a slightly chilled 2009 "Tempra Tantrum," a wine blend of Tempranillo and Grenache grapes from Toledo, Spain. It's a very subtle, easy to drink red wine, and was the perfect accompaniment to our casual Sunday afternoon spread.

Stay tuned this week for the tapas recipes!