And for all of my loyal readers, here’s a tidbit I’m passing on to you. Through August 8th, La Tienda has put their well-known and well-loved all natural sliced Jamón Serrano ham on sale.

There are so many scrumptious ideas for appetizers or grilling that you can use this tasty ham for. Jump on it – you’ll be glad you did. Details are below. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

This is what La Tienda says about their serrano ham: Thinly sliced serrano ham has a delicious nutty, salty flavor that makes it a perfect partner for lots of summer favorites. Wrap it around shrimp or scallops for a grilling combination made in heaven. Or serve skewered with honeydew melon or olives for a cool appetizer.

Cured for 15 months high in the mountains of Spain, this jamón is made the most traditional way, with nothing but pork and salt, and then sliced in the US for freshness. Our exclusive all natural jamón serrano is sure to be a hit at your next summer get together!

You can get All Natural Sliced Jamón Serrano, two 4 ounce packages, normally $19.95, now on sale for only $16.95! Click here to buy it before they run out!

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• José Pizarro recipe: Grilled asparagus with jamón ibérico (telegraph.co.uk)
• Ten Tastes of Spain (blogschu.com)

70% Off Aged Sheep’s Milk Cheese Plus 40-75% Off Mantecados, Olive Oil and Manchego!

Aged for 10 months, our sheep’s milk cheese in olive oil has a sharp yet approachable flavor to enjoy with crusty bread, fresh fruit or membrillo. Three generous wedges are packed in a handsome tin with olive oil to preserve the cheese and keep it moist. We’re overstocked on this tangy and flavorful cheese, so this is your chance to try it for 70% off! Normally $59.00, now $16.95, while supplies last.

•   Artisan Manchego – 60% OFF!
•   Mantecados Almond Cookies – 40% OFF
•   Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 75% OFF!
•   Magdalenas Muffins – 40% OFF!
•   Organic Horchata de Chufa – 30% OFF!
…and more great deals!

Okay, that’s my little sales plug for La Tienda. I only recommend from places I’ve actually bought from and enjoyed myself. Let me know if you visit La Tienda and tell me what you think!

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• Milk: The Beginning of All Cheesemaking. An Excerpt from American Farmstead Cheese (chelseagreen.com)
• Try This: Marinated Goat Cheese (thekitchn.com)

Here’s what La Tienda says about their offering:

Villajos Reserva is an authentic hand-made, raw sheep’s milk cheese. The aged Manchego has a full rich flavor with a healthy sharpness. Slice and serve with olives and sliced Serrano ham for the authentic flavor of Spain. Packed in a wooden box, it would make a superb gift. Read more here.

What is Manchego and what makes it so delicious? It’s a raw sheep’s milk cheese. It’s natural sharpness is a perfect match for the sweet flavor of Membrillo and a perfect way to end a great meal.

One of the things I love about this cheese is how good it tastes with other flavors married to it. For example, Manchego is used as a dessert when paired with a favorite Spanish jelly called Membrillo quince. I have to say, this is my favorite way to eat this cheese.

But Manchego also works well with the tart goodness of Jamon Serrano ham. This combination makes for an excellent addition to your Tapas servings.

However you decide to use Manchego cheese, you’ll enjoy it. It’s a flavor that takes you instantly to Spain. Find out more at La Tienda.com.

Spanish Food

As my blog reader, you know that I love the Spanish food of Tapas. I am enamored with how you can create beautiful small plates with such simple ingredients. So, I decided to share with you some of those yummy ingredients that you can easily get by going to your local specialty market or by visiting my favorite place online for buying GREAT Spanish food, La Tienda.

Here’s a list of some delicious ingredients. Then visit my Tapas Small Plates page to get some great ideas for Tapas. Enjoy!

Jamón Serrano or Serrano Ham is the famous dry-cured ham of Spain, with Jamón Ibérico the king of Serrano hams. Depending on the recipe, its easy to replace with bacon, or your local ham – such as York ham or Virginia ham.

Chorizo is Spain´s spicy sausage. Other Spanish sausages include Morcilla, made from blood and similar to English black pudding, and Butifarra – a white sausage made from pork, tripe, and pine-nuts. If you can’t find it, you can always replace with a spicy sausage, black pudding, or white sausage from your
own country.

Piquillo Peppers – are small, pointed red peppers from the region of Navarre, which are canned and sold throughout Spain. Replace with canned, ordinary red peppers, or roast a fresh red pepper yourself.

Saffron – is derived from a certain strain of crocus, and used to flavor and bestow that golden-yellow color to dishes.

Cheese – Spain has numerous regional artisan cheeses and, when a certain one is specified, a description of its type follows in brackets, [hard, soft, blue, etc.] Use your local equivalent.

It’s great if you can use authentic ingredients from Spain for your Tapas and cooking Spanish foods, but if not, then use the equivalent. It’s all good!

Tapas Small Plates are a wonderful way to entertain guests. Not only does it satisfy the creative chef within, it also is a way to present many small packages of food that represent a wide variety of flavors, plus tapas are easy appetizers to make.

People LOVE appetizers, tapas are Spain’s way of serving them up. I have lots of great ideas and recipes for these Spanish appetizers. Just visit my page at Tapas Small Plates.

Below are a selection of some of my favorite Tapas recipes. And if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own Tapas small plates, simple visit my favorite site for Spanish food and they will help you out. La Tienda has a wonderful selection for creating a Tapas party.

Bread and Olive Tapas – Delicious and satisfying tapas to make are simply chunks of bread with marinated olives.

Smoked Ham Tapas with Tomato, Garlic and Toasted Bread – (Pan con Tomate, Ajo y Jamon) – Delightfully fragrant and flavorful, this extremely simple smoked ham tapas is made with slices of toasted bread and a few other ingredients.

Figs and Ham Tapas – (Higos con Jamon) – Who would have thought that a combination figs and ham tapas could make such a yummy and simple appetizer?

From Hors d’oeuvre, appetizers are if there is a long period of time between when your guests arrive and when the main meal is served. An example would be during a cocktail hour. Appetizers might also serve the purpose of keeping guests happy (not starving!) during the long wait. In some cases, Hors d’oeuvres are served with no meal afterward. Cases where you might see this are at many reception and cocktail party events.

Hors d’oeuvre may be served at the dinner table as a part main meal or they may be served before sitting at the table. Hors d’oeuvres served prior to a main meal are either stationary on side tables or passed around by the host or workers at those hosts reception location. Stationary hors d’oeuvres are also referred to as table hors d’oeuvres.

I never knew that! It’s almost like serving Tapas or small plates instead of a full on meal. My kind of dining!

I want to tell you more about Tapas small plates and how much fun they can be. I mean, Tapas are HOT! (and cold…) but going out to a Tapas bar, or making your own inviting small plates and then in turn, inviting your friends over to share them, is a blast. I have a whole page on the history of tapas on my Easy Appetizer Recipes website. You should check it out when you get a chance.

Here’s a definition of tapas for those unfamiliar with the savory small plates and the tradition behind it…

Popular throughout Spain in bars and restaurants, tapas are appetizers that usually accompany SHERRY or other APÃRTIFS or COCKTAILS. They can also form an entire meal and can range from simple items such as olives or cubes of ham and cheese to more elaborate preparations like cold omelets, snails in a spicy sauce, stuffed peppers and miniature sandwiches.

The Tapas tradition or the art of tapeo originated from Spain. And in many of its famous cities, tapeo is the practice of sampling various tapas at different bars in town. Many consider this an art, as far as food tasting is concern. I call it plain ole’ fun.

Just to whet your appetite (isn’t that what appetizers are supposed to do??)… here’s one of my favorite tapas small plate recipes – nice and easy and so yummy!

Figs and Ham Tapas- Also known as Higos con Jamón
Who would have thought that a combination of figs and ham tapas could make such a yummy appetizer? You’ll want to make a whole meal out of it!

I don’t normally like fruit with meat, but there’s something so delicious about this combination that I had to try it. And it’s worth it. Serve this on beautiful little tapas small plates and you’ll end up “wowing” your guests!

Blue Puente Tapas Plate

What you’ll need:
- Figs
- Chives
- Smoked ham – chopped into smallish pieces
- Olive oil

To find out how this all goes together, read the rest of the figs and ham tapas recipe.