How to Create a Tapas Tray
Tapas is a traditional Spanish way of serving small amounts of food to larger groups. Unlike appetizer trays a tapas tray will have enough food to create a meal. Making your own tapas tray isn't difficult. You'll need several different types of meat, cheeses and vegetables.
Tapas trays can be a unique way to serve dinner or appetizers at your next gathering. This traditional Spanish custom has started to make its way in to other culinary customs and is becoming very popular worldwide. Making your own tapas tray is simple.
- Choose the meats you want to serve. In traditional Spanish tapas sausage is a favorite. You can find several varieties of sausage that can be sliced in to small portions and served. You can choose to offer other types of meat as well. Just be sure that you have a separate plate for each type of meat. You don't want to place shrimp, sausage and beef on the same tapas plate.
- Choose cheeses that complement the meats you've chosen. Finding regional cheeses is always a great way to add some character to the meal. Soft cheese can be served in a small bowl along side crackers or small pieces of bread to make it easier to deal with.
- Choose the vegetables you want to serve. Anything that can be cut into small strips or chunks will be popular for tapas. Roasted peppers are great because you can slice strips and add them to other vegetables. Mushroom and olive dishes are also popular.
- Choose a few types of bread to serve with the meals. Some of the foods may pair well served on bread while others won't require this. It's still a good idea to have a few types of bread available to your guests. This will ensure you have a good variety of food and everyone will be able to eat enough to be satisfied and full.