Entertaining Tips

Best friends coming over?
Bring home an imported Spanish chorizo, cut it into half-inch pieces, heat them up in a pan over high heat, put the pan on a trivet, and spear them with toothpicks one-by-one right from the pan.

Best friends coming over?
Saute a couple of handfuls of oyster and shiitake mushrooms in a pan, sprinkle them with salt, coarsely ground black peppercorns and grated parmesan, and serve them hot from the pan on a trivet, with toothpicks.

Best friends coming over?
Take the three sides of rind off a wedge of aged sheep’s cheese like Manchego or Pecorino Toscano, cut it into wafers a quarter-inch thick, serve it with a dish of honey to dip them in.

Best friends coming over?
With cocktails or wine, serve Catalan ‘pan con tomat’: toast four-inch, halved pieces of a baguette, stack them on a plate with a halved tomato, peeled cloves of garlic, and a cruet of really good olive oil; make each person rub the toast with the garlic and then with the tomato, and finally, drizzle it with the olive oil.