The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plains

Well, this past Saturday the Spanish rain may have stayed away, but the Spanish flavors came out in full force. We weren't really sure what to expect of our first Food Group meeting. Would the food be okay? Would anyone show up? Would Jenny and I get our asses in gear to straighten up our apartment in time? So many questions loomed, but the promise of a good time hung in the air.

After several failed attempts to crack the enigmatic code that is a Google Document, we settled on communicating through a string of reply-all email chains. Soon we were all clear on our assignments for the monumental premiere Food Group dinner. Here’s the breakdown:

Spanish Wine – Hallie H. /Kate B.
Manchego Cheese/Chorizo/Bread - Meghan
Gazpacho – Jenny/Kate M.
Paella – Hallie F.

You might be wondering “Why does everyone in this group have the same name?” We often wonder that ourselves… We’ve got two Kates, two Hallies, a Jenny, and a Meghan. Here we are in our first official Food Group Shot!

Hallie F. came over early to get started on the paella...

If you haven’t seen this silly Verizon commercial yet then you won’t understand why we were constantly exclaiming that we didn’t know what 'pa-ella' is and that we wouldn’t be eating it. Ever. Fortunately, Hallie’s paella was incredible and no one needed to order a pizza.

Meghan stopped by the famous Murray's Cheese Shop in the West Village to satisfy our need for cheese (cheese is definitely a requirement for all Food Group events) with some delectable Spanish treats. Naturally, the Manchego was the star of the cheese plate, but that soft, creamy little number with the edible rind stole the show a bit. (Meghan, tell us what it was!) And the spicy chorizo really sealed the deal.

At this point we had made a significant dent in the copious amounts of Spanish wine provided by Hallie H. and Kate B., respectively...

Jenny and I had been tasked with whipping up a quick gazpacho (must be pronounced gazPACHO...really loud and staccato for full effect). I work with a bunch of actual foodies who chastised our dream of making gazpacho with less than in season tomatoes. Apparently tomatoes are better in the late summer. Well, whatever. We here at Food Group are rebellious risk takers. I marched right into that grocery store, purchased 4 plum tomatoes, chopped them up and made soup out of them. And guess what...it was delicious. Here we are enjoying it like out-of-season tomato loving ladies:

Turns out, making gazpacho is really easy. Especially if you have a food processor. We were quite pleased with the end result. Well, I was. Because I made it. But Jenny provided a great deal of moral support...

Once our appetites where sufficiently wheted with wine, cheese, and gazpacho, it was time for the main affair. Hallie's paella was ready and the table was set.

Look how proud we are!

Our first Food Group gathering was an unimaginable success. We all came together to drink, talk, eat, share, laugh, and be grown ups. My parents had a lot of dinner parties when I was a kid and I always wondered how they could just sit at that table for hours, long the meal was finished, nursing their wine glasses and telling stories. Well, Food Group has latched on to the essence of those lingering dinners and the reasons to stay at that table as long as possible suddenly seem abundantly clear.

Next up: Hallie H. will fill our waiting stomachs with some delicious Iranian food!

And no doubt other Food Groupies will regale you with their own memories from our first night in.