I have the best friends. So grateful. Several weeks ago my friend Chris Damcke said we should have a potluck dinner party and invite everyone to cook and bring something from Toro Bravo: Stories. Recipes. No Bull. I said that was a great idea and then pretty much left it at that because I felt too busy to organize it.
A couple weeks ago I got a call from my friend Loly inviting me to it at her place! She and Chris made it happen. Sooooo last weekend thirteen of us gathered at Loly's with all sorts of tasty treats cooked from the book. We filled her kitchen, dinner table and our bellies with all sorts of deliciousness from Toro Bravo. It was so great that we decided to do it again next month -- this time at Tom's house. We've also decided to have these parties until we cook through the entire book.
I've never done this with any cookbook before but I hope to do more in the future. So fun! And I'm very proud to say that no one had any problems with any of the recipes -- not a one. It was all so good and so fun.
Here's the menu from our first Toro Bravo cookbook party followed by photos from it. I can't recommend this sort of dinner party enough. Leave any questions about it in the comments below and please, please let me know if you've done something similar yourself. I'd love to hear about it. Eat, drink and be merry!
Toro Bravo: Stories. Recipes. No Bull. dinner party menu
Radicchio Salad Potato Salad Salt Cod Fritters Chili Shrimp a la Plancha Boquerones with Toasted Bread and Piperade Seared Cauliflower with Salsa Verde Coppa Steak with Salbitxada Harissa-Stewed Butternut Squash Pepino cocktail Red Sangria Panna Cotta with wine poached pears and Campari blood orange topping
Table FILLED with Toro Bravo cookbook food and drink!
So much goodness...
Ryan and Nancy on Toro's Chili Shrimp detail. Photo by Faulkner Short.
Chris checking Toro's cold-smoked Coppa. Photo by Faulkner Short.
Dana and Oliver putting the finishing touches on Toro's Harissa-Stewed Butternut Squash. Photo by Faulkner Short.
Me plating Toro's Boquerones with Toasted Bread and Piperade. Photo by Faulkner Short.
Sara and Zo frying up Toro's Salt Cod Fritters on Loly's front porch. Photo by Faulkner Short.
Loly and Faulkner post-Radicchio Salad prep. Photo by Chris Damcke.
Ryan and Nancy taking on the feat of trying all the Toro book foods.
The Chili Shrimp a la Plancha that they made. Mmmmm.
Tom's Toro Potato Salad with chorizo.
Ryan and Nancy's Seared Cauliflower with Salsa Verde from the book.
My Toro Boquerones with Toasted Bread and Piperade.
Toro's Panna Cotta by Chris for dessert -- some with wine-poached pears and others with Campari blood orange syrup.
Wine cork Olympics post-dinner with Tom and Oliver.
If you decide to host a dinner party like this please, please let me know and send me photos! I'll post them here. So fun. Eat, drink and be merry AND hairy!