HOW TO MAKE A SPANISH CHEESE BOARD RECIPE

All the details are covered on how to build an amazing cheese board, Spanish style. Spanish inspired appetizers to build the best cheese board. 

Ingredients

Cheese Board:

• 1-2 cups romesco sauce (see recipe below)
• 4 cups grapes on the vine, green and black preferred
• 8 dates
• 3 links cured chorizo (the hard cured chorizo from the deli section vs chorizo sausage)
• 16 thin slices Serrano ham (prosciutto is an excellent substitute if you can't find Serrano)
• 5 oz. Drunken Goat cheese
• 6 oz. Manchego cheese (aged 6 or 12 months)
• 5 oz. Iberico Cheese (or another Manchego as a substitute)
• 3 oz. (8 tbsp) Cabrales cheese (or a creamy mild blue cheese)
• 3/4 cup mixed olives
• 1/4 cup pickled peppers
• 1/3 cup Whole almonds, Marcona variety preferred
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
• 1/4 cup quince pasta (or quince jam)
• 1 large baguette

Optional Garnishes:

• 4-6 fresh figs
• 1/4 cup pea shoots

Romesco Sauce:

• 2 slices white sandwich bread (crusts on), toasted and torn into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup toasted whole almonds
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ganulated sugar
• 2 large jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained (around 850 ml jars total)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, halved (or tomatoes on the vine)
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions

Cheese Board:

1. Make the Romesco Sauce and serve in a bowl on the board.
2. Prepare the dates: make a small incision in each date to remove the pit. Then stuff dates with Cabrales (or blue cheese). 
3. Slice 1-2 links of chorizo into 1/4" pieces and leave 1 link whole for the board. 
4. In a small bowl, toss the almonds with the smoked paprika and serve scattered around the board or in a small bowl. 
5. Prepare the other components in the style that works best for you (start with the big items such as grapes and cheeses then move onto the smaller components). Arrange everything on and around your board. Top with optional garnishes if desired.  

Romesco Sauce:

1. Add toasted bread pieces, almonds, paprika, salt and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until you have a crumb mixture. Pour mixture into a medium mixing bowl. 
2. Place the drained roasted red peppers, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, and vinegar in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. Add pepper-tomato mixture to crumb mixture and combine with a wooden spoon until a thick dip / sauce* appears. 

Recipe Notes

* Romesco Sauce will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months. I had quite a bit of leftovers which I used for pasta (simply add 1 cup of pasta cooking water to create a lovely pasta sauce or simple use the Romesco Sauce as is on top of baked chicken).

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