Barcelona on a Board

Indulge this holiday with an Instagram-worthy Spanish charcuterie spread

Whether it be tapas bites or a pan of paella, Spanish food is designed to bring people together over a shared experience (remember: just your household this year!). Three cheeses—including the popular Drunken Goat—represent three distinct regions of Spain. A Spanish board would also not be complete without a spoon of quince paste for sweetness, a dish of olives for brine and the famous Spanish nut—the Marcona almond—for a rich crunch.

Ingredients

• 4 cups total black and green grapes on the vine
• 8 dates
• 3 links chorizo, cured, 
• Serrano ham, 16 very thin slices
• 5 oz Drunken Goat cheese
• 6 oz manchego cheese
• 5 oz Iberico cheese
• 8 Tbsp (3 oz) Cabrales cheese
• ¾ cup mixed olives 
• ? cup Marcona almonds
• 1 tbsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
• ¼ cup quince paste
• 1 long loaf crusty bread
•  Fresh figs, for garnish
• Pea shoots, for garnish
• Romesco sauce (recipe below)

Preparation

1. Make the Romesco sauce and serve in a bowl (recipe below).
2. Prepare the dates: Make a small incision in each date, remove the pit and stuff each date with 1 tbsp Cabrales cheese.
3. Slice about 1½ of the chorizo links into ¼? slices, leaving at least 1 link whole for the board.
4. In a small bowl, toss the almonds with the smoked paprika and serve scattered around the board
5. Slice the bread into ½? slices.
6. Prepare the other components in the style that works best for you, then arrange everything on and around your board. Top with optional garnishes.

Tips

• Romesco sauce is a classic Spanish dip made with roasted red peppers. It is addictively good and can be used as a pasta sauce or spooned over grilled chicken. Consider doubling the recipe and freezing the extra for another meal.
• Other beautiful combinations on this board are a blue cheese–stuffed date wrapped in a small piece of serrano; bread topped with a slice of Manchego and a dollop of quince paste; and a thin slice of Drunken Goat and a schmear of Romesco atop a slice of bread. 

Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts on, toasted and torn into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup toasted whole almonds
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 large jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, quartered, or 2 Roma, halved
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions

1. To a food processor, add the toast pieces, almonds, paprika, salt and sugar and pulse until you have a crumb mixture. Pour the crumb mixture into a medium bowl.
2. Place the bell peppers, garlic, tomato, tomato paste, olive oil and vinegar in the food processor and blend until fairly smooth.
3. Empty the pepper-tomato mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the crumb mixture a spoonful at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. A thicker consistency (more crumbs in the mixture) makes a great dip, and a thinner consistency (fewer crumbs in the mixture) makes for a great pasta sauce or a basting sauce for chicken or shrimp.

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Makes 2 cups.

Excerpted from On Boards: Simple & Inspiring Recipe Ideas to Share at Every Gathering. Copyright © 2018 Lisa Bolton. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher.