|
 Recently,
we had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to attend
the 2003 National Natural Food Show. It was an amazing spectacle
of enormous proportions with literally hundreds of exhibits
covering everything from food, health and beauty products
to natural pet foods. The exhibitors were out in top form
with ‘no money spared’ booths that rivaled any major
industry product show. It was great to see such a showing
of natural food companies including a few of the top gluten-free
food manufacturers.
We had a great time visiting with food vendors
including some of our favorite gluten-free buddies like The
Gluten-free Pantry, Glutino and Ener-g Foods and, we even
discovered a few new ones.
One of the high points of the trip was a
delightful evening out at a local Tapas Restaurant with some
of our gluten-free friends.
After a bit of back and forth with very
accommodating waiters, (it’s hard enough to accommodate
a table of Celiac’s, and even harder when your first
language isn’t English) we were served a table full of
delicious tapas that included everything from tantalizing
little beef, chicken, shrimp and vegetables dishes. The perfect
meal for a casual dinner with friends, a tapas dinner lets
everyone taste several different dishes. The tapas were served
with an accompanying Spanish  tortilla.
Spanish tortillas have no similarity to the Mexican variety
and are made primarily from potatoes and eggs; similar to
a fritata. A great meal very literally shared with great friends.
So, how about a tapas party at home?
These bite size delicacies of unlimited
ingredients and combinations are generally easy to make and
can be prepped ahead of time and cooked just before serving.
For a different and fun party, let your guests choose a tapas
from your menu and do the final cooking themselves.
Here is a collection of some of our favorite
tapas including a recipe for a great Spanish
tortilla.
If you’ve ever sat down to a meal at
a restaurant and looked around the table at everyone’s
plate and thought, ‘I wish I could try just a bite of
that, and that, and that….’ You will find your destiny
at a tapas party!
Try these tapas recipes:
Shrimp
in Garlic
Peppers
Stuffed with Feta & Spinach
Meatballs
with Almond and Garlic Sauce
Marinated
Pork
Roasted
Vegetable Saute
Spanish
Tortilla
| 
