Fandango Catering and Events Launches New All Tapas Menu

At popular request Fandango Catering and Events will launch its new all-tapas menu this month of August 2011.

We are known for our all-natural, sustainably-created, all handmade finger foods from Spanish, American, Latin, European, and Asian cuisines; and for the last year or so clients and colleagues have urged us to come up with an all-tapas menu.  We have now done so, with an emphasis on both traditional and nouvelle Spanish tapas (nouvelle, not oxygen-ified).

Since our Executive Chef/Owner Jesús Lumbreras-Calvo is a native of Madrid (born in the lovely neighborhood of Chamberí/Ríos Rosas, as he likes to say), and is passionate about tapas, this makes sense!

As we have worked on our new all-tapas menu, we have concentrated on dishes that preserve Spanish cooking traditions while appealing to contemporary tastes. The past few years have seen such a wealth of great twists on and updates of traditional tapas food, anyway.

One of the most important uses for our new all-tapas menu will be--and this is where several clients' requests for this menu comes in--to add interest and coolness to a cocktail party or any gathering where finger foods will be served.  A theme in catering in recent years has been finger foods all or mostly from one region, such as Asian or Mexican foods.  And now, Spanish tapas.

Add to the mix the cool little tapas plates and some great Spanish wines and/or sherries, and you have a fabulously cool gathering!

Or how about an interactive Spanish chef party where guests learn from the chef about tapas as they are eating? Done, too.

Some of the tapas in our new menu are:

• Gambas en salsa roja/Sizzling Chili Shrimp
• Champiñones rellenos de fuet/Catalán Sausage-Filled Mushrooms
• Banderillas de emparedados/Spanish Croque Monsieur Sandwich and Cherry Tomato Skewers
• Pinchitos morunos con trio de aliolis/Pork Mini Skewers with Trio of Aliolis

For more info:
info@fandango-catering.com

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

6 Spanish Foods of Jewish Origin in Honor of Passover

In honor of Passover and because Fandango Catering and Events' Executive Chef is from Spain, we offer 6 Spanish foods that are of Jewish origin and a brief history of this fascinating subject.

Jews in Spain played a huge part in the country's development, culture, and customs, including its food.  Jews came to Spain as early as shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, in late Roman times, and they called Spain "Sefarad" after a city in Asia Minor.  Jews born in Spain or whose family originated in Spain are called Sephardic Jews. 

The Jews became an integral part of life in Spain in what was called the "convivencia," or peaceful, beneficial coexistence of Christians, Jews, and Arabs (the latter begin invading Spain around the 8th century BCE).  But King Fernando and Queen Isabel (called Ferdinand and Isabella by some) decided to expulse the Jews and Arabs unless they converted to Catholicism, some say because the Jews had become too powerful, others that the King and Queen wanted to unite all of Spain under one religion, both for political and religious reasons.  Most Jews and Arabs converted rather than leave, but many kept their foodways and traditions secretly.  Today many dishes in Spain are of Jewish (and Arab) origin.

Here are 6 Spanish foods or types of foods of Jewish origin:

• Eggplant with cheese--either as a layered casserole or a savory pie
• Cocido and its regional variants--A pot-au-feu type dish of boiled meats, vegetables, and grains with the broth served first with noodles, with verions in nearly every region of Spain--Some of the cocidos even use matzo balls made with bread crumbs, chicken fat, and herbs while others use meat or chicken quenelles rather than matzo balls
• Fish croquettes
• Hard-boiled eggs--In stews and in meat, chicken, and fish loaves
• Pepitoria--Lemon and egg yolk sauce for chicken
• Many desserts--Made without leavening or dairy

Some great books on or with extensive info on the Jewish foods of Spain are:

Claudia Roden, The Book of Jewish Food
David M. Gitlitz, A Drizzle of Honey: The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews
Joyce Goldstein, Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking of the Mediterranean

Warmly,

Kristina

Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
http://www.fandango-catering.com/

Fandango Catering and Events Executive Chef to Provide Catalan Tapas at Paintings and Pairings

Fandango Catering and Events' Executive Chef, Jesús Lumbreras-Calvo, a Madrid native and 1999 graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute, will be the featured chef at "Paintings and Pairings" on Saturday, April 2, 2011, 6-9pm at Kitchen Incubator's Café des Artistes in downtown Houston, located at 907 Franklin St.

As part of its ongoing series of food- and beverage-related public events where attendees can taste and learn about different cuisines, attend or participate in cooking competitions, and do hands-on food-related and other crafts, Kitchen Incubator will host this, the third in its popular "Paintings and Pairings" series, where a featured chef demonstrates his/her craft with a themed menu.

Chef Jesús will present a menu of tapas from Cataluña (or Catalonia in English), one of the great culinary capitals of the world. In fact, Chef Jesús spent a year in Barcelona as a child.

This will be a great evening of delicious tapas and wines with the opportunity to do one of Miró's famous paintings, and does not require previous painting skill! The Kitchen Incubator kitchen and café space, with its freshly done Tuscan-inspired decor, is beautiful, and so is the downtown Houston skyline at night. The kitchen and café are located in an art deco building (see photo above, left) in the historic Market Square district of downtown Houston.

Please join us for a delightful evening of Catalán tapas, art, and things Barcelona.

More info on Facebook:

http://fb.me/Mj2cL4r1

Warmly,

Kristina

Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.

Director of Sales and Operations/Event Manager

Fandango Catering and Events

(713) 522-0077

(281) 796-9841

info@fandango-catering.com

http://www.fandango-catering.com/