Here’s a Spanish favorite from our Catalonia Foodie Adventures that will be

perfect for your summer parties.

Banderillas

For us, the first stop is the market for olives, sausage, ham and vegetables to grill. During cocktail hour we roast the vegetables over an open fire, chop them and create a buffet of tasty ingredients. Foodies spear a combination of their favorite ingredients for their banderillas to enjoy with a glass of sangria.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Banderillas, they are very popular in Tapas Bars, especially in the North of Spain.  They are called Banderillas because of the resemblance to the large sharp darts, of the same name, used in bullfights.  Various ingredients are cut into small pieces and threaded onto toothpicks.  Pairing the correct ingredients together is important to achieve the correct blend of flavors.  The idea is to get all of the ingredients off from the toothpick and into your mouth at the same time, so that the flavors merge together.

Various items that may be used:

Shrimp, cooked Chorizo, Pickled Cucumber, Spanish Olives, Roasted Peppers, Serrano Ham (use Italian prosciutto if you can’t find Serrano Ham), Tuna, Figs, Artichoke Hearts, Anchovy wrapped Capers, Cooked Mussels, Pickled Herring, Pearl Onions, Mushrooms, chunks of Potatoes, wedges of hard-boiled Eggs, Asparagus Tips, Boiled Ham, etc… 

A Banderilla Dressing can be made by blending together: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup finely minced parsley, 1/4 cup finely minced dill pickle or cornichon (not sweet) and 4 large cloves of garlic, minced in a food processor until smooth. 

Additional information and tour availability for our Foodie Adventures www.chefmichaelsalmon.com, 

Cooking Classes at the Hartstone Inn, Camden Maine 

email questions: [email protected] or follow our adventures on Facebook.