Note: recipes can be found at end of story

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Our family recently celebrated my niece Sarah's high school graduation in Morgantown. After the early afternoon ceremonies, my brother Ben Watkins and his wife, Marsha, invited the clan to their house for a family reception. Instead of scrambling to get a full meal on the table, Ben and Marsha calmly presented an impressive array of nearly 20 dishes of nibbles and tidbits that they'd prepared the day before.

"We're having tapas," my brother explained. Tapas dining is a delightful Spanish culinary tradition in which small, bite-sized morsels are offered throughout the day. Tapas are not intended to replace a full meal, which makes tapas an ideal selection for a mid-afternoon gathering.

In preparation, Ben and Marsha pored over a copy of "The Tapas Cookbook," which they'd picked up in a bargain book bin, just waiting for the right opportunity to use the recipes. Tapas selections are as simple as a dish of almonds and olives to slightly more complicated stuffed sweet peppers, grilled kabobs, sauced sausages and salads served on toasts or bread.

In Spanish, "tapas" means "lids," a reference to the original tapas, which were slices of bread placed over glasses of wine served by innkeepers hundreds of years ago. The bread kept bugs out and dust from falling into the glasses. Later, slices of ham and cheese were added to the bread, beginning the tapas custom.

Today, the savory bites are relatively simple combinations of well-matched ingredients, such as bland mushrooms cooked in a piquant red chile sauce, shrimp and lime, spicy chorizo sausage and sweet melon or roasted potatoes with blue cheese. When you're making 20 varieties of tapas, however, your ingredient list is lengthy. Nosy sister that I am, I glanced at their list, which included mushrooms, lemons, garlic, lemons, limes, chorizo, chicken, salmon, shrimp, roasted red peppers, olives, goat cheese and baguettes.

"We used many of the same ingredients in different dishes," Marsha explained. They had tangy Lime-drizzled Shrimp and spicy Sizzling Chile Shrimp. Chicken appeared in Sautéed Chicken with Crispy Garlic Slices and in Chicken Salad with Raisins and Pine Nuts. Roasted red bell peppers wrapped around both tuna and goat cheese/olive fillings. Artichokes headlined both Artichoke Hearts and Asparagus Salad and Melon, Chorizo and Artichoke Salad.

Ben planned an authentic, by-the-cookbook Spanish tapas feast, while Marsha went a bit off menu, adding a few of her own creations. She took advantage of ready-made products to cut back on preparation time. She stuffed mushroom caps with  prepared crab cakes, at the suggestion of their son Ross. Her wild-mushroom stuffed raviolis in a sauce of sautéed, finely chopped mushrooms, red peppers and garlic mixed with prepared pesto and topped with asiago cheese didn't last long.

Tapas may not be intended as a meal, but we certainly made one of it, filling our small plates with a bit of everything, then going back for favorites or those missed on the first round.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.

Chorizo in Red Wine

This dish is best if prepared the day before it is served.

Serves: 6

7    ounces chorizo sausage

3/4 cup Spanish red wine

2    tablespoons brandy, optional

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Crusty bread

PRICK the chorizo in 3 or 4 places with a toothpick.

PLACE chorizo and wine in a large sauce pan. Bring wine to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, covered for 15 to 20 minutes.

TRANSFER chorizo and wine to covered bowl. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

REMOVE chorizo from bowl and reserve wine marinade. Remove the outer casing from the chorizo and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

PLACE slices in heavy-bottomed skillet or flame-proof serving dish.

IF USING brandy, pour it into a small saucepan and heat gently. Pour warm brandy over chorizo slices, and set aflame.

WHEN flames die down, shake pan gently and add reserved wine. Cook over high heat until almost all wine evaporates.

SERVE chorizo piping hot, sprinkled with parsley to garnish, with chunks of slices of bread.

Chicken Salad with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Serves: 6

1/4  cup red wine vinegar

1/8  cup sugar

1     bay leaf

Rind of one lemon

1     cup raisins

4     skinless, boneless chicken breasts

5     tablespoons olive oil

1    garlic clove, finely chopped

1    cup pine nuts

1/3 cup olive oil

1    bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

COMBINE vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and lemon rind in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in raisins. Cool

SLICE chicken breasts into very thin slices. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned

ADD the garlic and pine nuts. Cook, while stirring continuously and shaking the skillet for 1 minute or until the pine nuts are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

POUR cooled dressing into a large bowl, discarding the bay leaf and lemon rind. Add 1/3 cup olive oil and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken mixture and parsley and toss together.

TURN the salad into a serving dish and serve warm; or, cover and chill for two hours and serve cold.

Lime-drizzled Shrimp

Serves: 6

4    limes

12  raw jumbo shrimp, beheaded and de-veined

3    tablespoons olive oil

2    cloves garlic, finely chopped

Splash of sherry

4    tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

GRATE the rind and squeeze the juice from two limes. Cut the remaining two limes into wedges and set aside.

RINSE shrimp and pat dry.

HEAT oil in heavy skillet. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they turn pink.

MIX in the lime rind juice and a splash of sherry and stir well to coat.

TRANSFER cooked shrimp to serving dish, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot, with lime wedges.

Stuffed Pimientos

Serves: 6

(They used roasted red peppers.)

1 6.5-ounce jar whole pimento red peppers

Filling of choice (see recipes below)

REMOVE peppers from jar. If using roasted red peppers, slice into 1-inch long strips.

HEAP filling of choice into pimento, or on pepper strip. If using strip, wrap it around the filling and secure with toothpick.

CHILL for two hours until firm before serving.

Tuna Mayonnaise Filling

1   7-ounce can Albacore tuna in olive oil, drained

5   tablespoons mayonnaise

2   teaspoons lemon juice

2   tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

COMBINE tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Goat Cheese and Olive Filling

1/3  cup pitted black olives, finely chopped

7     ounces soft goat cheese

1     garlic clove, crushed

Salt and pepper

COMBINE olives, goat cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Green Beans with Pine Nuts

Serves: 6

2     tablespoons olive oil

1/3  cup pine nuts

1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika

1      pound green beans, trimmed

1      small onion, finely chopped

1      clove garlic, finely chopped

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

HEAT oil in large, heavy skillet. Add pine nuts and cook for about 1 minute, stirring all the time, until light golden brown. Remove from pan with slotted spoon. Drain well on paper napkins, then transfer to a bowl. Add paprika and stir until coated.

ADD beans to a saucepan. Boil enough water to cover beans and pour over then. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.

REHEAT oil remaining in skillet. Add onion and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to brown. Add garlic and cook for additional 30 seconds.

ADD beans to skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing with onion until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

TURN green bean mixture into a serving dish and toss with lemon juice. Sprinkle pine nuts over beans and serve.

Spanish Tortilla

Serves: 8

This basic potato and egg dish often also includes peppers, olives, herbs, chorizo, spinach or mushrooms. It's served in wedges.

1/2     cup olive oil

1        pound potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1        large onion, thinly sliced

6        large eggs

Salt and pepper

Fresh flat-leaf parsley

HEAT nonstick 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add olive oil. Reduce heat, then add potatoes and onion and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

BEAT eggs in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Drain potatoes and onion through a strainer over a heatproof bowl to reserve the oil. Gently stir the vegetables into the eggs. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.

REMOVE crusty bits stuck to bottom of skillet with wooden spoon or spatula. Reheat the skillet over medium heat with 4 tablespoons of the reserved oil

ADD egg mixture and smooth the surface, pressing potatoes and onions into an even layer.

COOK for 5 minutes, shaking the skillet occasionally, until bottom is set. Loosen the sides of the tortilla with a spatula. Place a large plate over the top and carefully invert the skillet and plate so the tortilla drops onto the plate.

ADD 1 tablespoon of the remaining reserved oil to the skillet and swirl around. Carefully slide the tortilla back into the skillet, cooked-side up. Run the spatula around the tortilla, to tuck in the edge.

COOK for 3 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the base is golden brown. Remove from heat and slide tortilla onto a plate.

LET stand at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

All recipes from "The Tapas Cookbook."