Banderillas

Cuisine
Course
Servings 4
Description
To eat a banderilla, put the whole thing in your mouth and slide it off the pick. It is a mouthful, but manageable and not as much as it seems.
Plan on each person eating 3-5 banderillas if that is all you are serving. Banderillas are terrific with martinis.

Noted on 1/29/2012

Ingredients
    Dressing for 20 Banderillas
  • 3 tbsp minced parsley
  • 3 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 tbsp minced dill or cornichon pickle
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    • Banderilla 1
  • 1 pitted green Spanish olive, with or without pimiento
  • 1 1-inch square piece of pickled herring
  • 1 1-inch square piece of pequillo pepper
  • 1 1/2-inch-thick crosswise slice dill or cornichon pickle
  • 1 pickled pearl onion
  • 1 rolled anchovy, with or without caper
    • Banderilla 2
  • 1 small jarred mushroom, stem removed
  • 1 rolled anchovy, with or without caper
  • 1 1/2-inch slice fingerling potato, boiled until just tender
  • A dab of mayonnaise
    • Banderilla 3
  • 1 rolled anchovy, with or without caper
  • 1 pitted cured black olive
  • 1/2 small hard-boiled egg
  • A dab of mayonnaise
    • Banderilla 4
  • 1 pickled pearl onion
  • 1 1/2-inch-thick crosswise slice dill or cornichon pickle
  • 1 1-inch square piece of pickled herring
  • 1/4 marinated artichoke heart
Method

  1. Skewer the ingredients on a toothpick in the order listed, then drizzle with the dressing. The mayo should be dabbed on the ingredient listed just previous to it.

Cook's Notes
Yield
Makes 1 banderilla per recipe
Advance Prep
The banderillas can be prepared a couple of hours before serving. Cover them with a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
Variations
You can, of course, make up your own combination of ingredients that suits your taste, just make sure to use a combination of textures and include something salty on each pick.
Special Equipment
Extra long toothpicks make threading the ingredients a bit easier.