Tapas Party

I am swiping the entire menu from today's episode of Five-Ingredient Fix. THIS is my idea of the perfect meal. It is supposed to be party food, but I can see adding a lovely, fresh salad to this and having a beautiful, romantic dinner for two. Any guy who fixed this for me for dinner would have a hard time getting rid of me :)

Spicy Baked Chick Peas

Ingredients

* 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
* Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel. Combine the oil, paprika cumin, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Bake until golden and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray to toss after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl.


Baked Fresh Ricotta with Olives

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta
* 2 eggs
* Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
* 1 orange, zested
* 1 cup pitted mixed olives in oil
* 1 large baguette, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the ricotta in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let stand 10 minutes to remove the excess liquid. Transfer the cheese to a bowl and add the eggs, salt and pepper, to taste and the orange zest. Stir until well combined. Transfer the mixture to an 8-ounce shallow baking and serving dish and put on a baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven until puffed and beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with olives and baguette or your favorite bread and enjoy!


Rioja Steamed Mussels with Chorizo

Ingredients

* 1 pound fresh chorizo, casings removed, crumbled
* 1 very large Spanish onion, sliced
* Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
* 2 pounds black mussels, cleaned and bearded
* 1 bottle Rioja or other dry red wine
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the chorizo in a large heavy pot with a lid over high heat. Cook until the fat is rendered and the meat has browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve. Add the onions to the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chorizo back to the pan and drop in the mussels. Pour in the wine, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook until mussels have opened, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and discard any mussels that have not opened. Stir very well until the mussels are coated in the wine and onions. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.


Plum Sangria

* Ice
* 1/2 bottle Spanish white wine
* 3 plums, 2 blended and strained for puree, 1 sliced
* 1 teaspoon crystallized ginger simple syrup
* Fresh mint sprigs
* 1/2 cup seltzer

Directions

In a large pitcher with ice, add the wine, plum puree, simple syrup and 1 sprig of mint. Muddle the mint around a little bit, then add some of the plum slices and seltzer. Pour into serving glasses and garnish with plum slices and mint sprigs.