PLANNING A DINNER PARTY

from whitepaintedwoman.wordpress.com

So, I bought an eggplant, zucchini, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and Vidalia onions. Can you guess what I'm making? Ratatouille! And, to make it nutritionally complete and satisfying I will crack a couple of eggs on top and finish it off in the oven. Yep! Fried eggs. That's how they served it in Puerto Banus, Spain at La Taberna Del Pinxto.

Trying this recipe out as a prelude to my menu plans for our dinner party on the 28th. We are celebrating our Mediterranean winter experience by serving tapas to our friends and using the lovely tablecloth made in Avingnon.

[UPDATE: This ratatouille will not make it onto my dinner party menu. In the context of a hip tapas restaurant on the coast of Spain it was a great idea, but in my kitchen and for dinner tonight it wasn't even so-so. Ratatouille gets demoted to a once a summer side-dish status, and skip the egg. I'm thinking we will substitute an antipasta salad...]

So far I am thinking about bruschetta-type toasts--1) fig jam/goat cheese/bacon, and
2) guacamole with fresh shrimp. Also, small new potatoes roasted, slightly smashed, and then deep fried and served with a garlic aioli.

I need one or two more tapas, and will also serve the yummy watermelon salad and the aforementioned ratatouille. There will also be olives and roasted nuts, sangria and limoncella.