Saturday night was the third gathering of the T-Town Supper Club. Our hosts for the evening, Jim and Sue, came up with a most excellent theme for this dinner party: each guest would make a dish from The New Spanish Table cookbook by Anya von Bremzen. They purchased several copies of the book, which were passed around between the club members for perusing and dish selection. What we ended up with were six amazing dishes that made for one unforgettable meal. As always the group really got into the spirit of the evening, so we were able to cover lots of styles and ingredients. Here are some photos:
Romesco with Toast, Shrimp and Asparagus
Arugula and Potato Salad with Octopus Confit
Moorish Chicken and Nut Pie
Toasted Pasta Paella
Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake with Vanilla Bean/Thyme Infused Ice Cream
We started with the Romesco with Shrimp, Toast and Asparagus. The Romesco sauce was a great combination of spicy dried chiles, ground nuts, and spices. Second was Fennel, Potato and Mussel soup garnished with fresh Mint and sipped out of hearty mugs. A perfect start on a cold and blustery night. Next up was our Octopus Confit Salad, with saffron infused potatoes and a sofrito vinaigrette, along with Dan’s Moorish Chicken Pie. Dan is known to be a master of crusts and this olive oil saffron empanada crust didn’t disappoint. The big entree of the night was a toasted pasta Paella with Chorizo and Clams. A complex mix of flavors and textures that kept our palates dancing. Though we were full - we all accessed the special dessert stomach to make room for a perfect homemade Vanilla Bean/Thyme infused ice cream atop warm Chocolate Souflee cakes. Every dish turned out beautiful and delicious, and we all learned a thing or two about Spanish cooking and ingredients. Note - if a recipe ever calls for an Italian frying pepper I can tell you it is a poblano. You can never have too much Saffron - thanks to Jim & Sue’s secret source for the goodie bags to take home! We of course had a nice selection of both white and red Spanish wines to complement each course, as well as a bottomless pitcher of fresh and fruity Sangria. Lucky us, and thanks to the members who weren’t able to attend, we got to keep a copy of the cookbook - we can’t wait to try more recipes!
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