Tag Archives: finger food

Cucumber Avocado & Smoked Salmon Rolls

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You may have seen variations on this recipe on Pinterest and Instagram. I made them for a recent potluck French lunch which I attend every month in order to keep up the lingo. Learning a foreign language is a lot of work, so having put in all that effort it makes sense to keep it up.

As you can see from the final product, I didn’t roll it up tightly enough, so I will remember that for next time.

 

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1 long telegraph cucumber
250g cream cheese at room temperature
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small avocado, or ½ a large one, sliced
3-4 slices smoked salmon
A few chives
To garnish:
Balsamic glaze
Sesame seeds

Choose a nice thin cucumber – you don’t one one with a lot of seeds and moisture.

Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber lengthwise. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping on a piece of baking paper, as shown in the photo. Mix the garlic, if using, into the cream cheese and season. Spread the cream cheese over the cucumbers to cover the top 10 cm or so. Also spread a tiny bit all along the opposite end, to help to stick everything together when you roll it. Either lay the chives under the avocado, whole, which is what I did. Or chop them finely and mix them into the cream cheese, which is what I think I will do next time. Arrange the smoked salmon, chives and avocado on top of the cream cheese, as shown in the photo.

Starting from the loaded end, use the baking paper to help you to roll it up as tightly as possible, then wrap in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge till serving time. Up to a few hours is ok. This helps to firm everything up.

To serve, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut the roll into slices 4-5cm thick. Arrange them on a plate, cut side up. Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a few sesame seeds.

Makes about 10

Cream Cheese Log with Dried Fruit & Nuts

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Invite some friends round for a drink and serve this delicious cheese log with your favourite crackers. It can be made a day or two before serving. If you want it to keep for longer, leave out the chives and maybe add some dried herbs. Then it will keep for a week or two.

Try different combinations of fruit and nuts. The photo shows cranberries and pecans, but glacé ginger or diced apricots, or both, with walnuts or pecans is a great combination.

Just before serving I cut the log in half, so what you see in the photo is one of two small logs.

150g dried cranberries (or apricots, dates, seedless raisins, figs, glacé ginger, or a mixture)
125g pecans (or walnuts, pistachios or macadamias, or a mixture)
4 Tbs snipped chives (use scissors)
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the cranberries and pecans, both finely chopped, in a mixing bowl with the chives. Mix well. Place cream cheese in another mixing bowl, add the grated cheddar, about half the cranberry and nut mixture and season to taste.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the kitchen bench. Tip the remaining cranberry and nut mixture onto the middle in a rectangle.  Use a spatula to scrape the cream cheese mixture onto a plate or chopping board, in a rough log shape. Use damp hands to form it into a neater log shape, about 3cm in diameter. Or you can make two smaller logs.

Place the log on the cranberry and nut mixture and roll it around, patting it into the log until it’s completely covered, including both ends. Use a clean piece of plastic wrap to wrap the log and once it’s securely wrapped, roll it on the counter a few times to improve the shape.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving with your favourite crackers.

Serves a crowd

Prawn Appetisers with Tamarind Sauce – Miang Kham

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While holidaying in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand for a few days recently we ate some delicious prawn appetisers called Miang Kham.

Betel leaves are sold in my local Asian grocery store, so I bought a packet and was able to whip up these tasty, healthy morsels in no time flat.

You might want to make double the tamarind dressing recipe. It keeps in the fridge for weeks and is useful to serve with all sorts of things, such as grilled salmon or chicken.

8 large prawns, peeled (raw or cooked)
1 Tbs oil
2-3 Tbs tamarind dressing
8 fresh betel leaves (from Asian shops)
2 Tbs roasted peanuts or crispy fried shallots (from Asian shops), or both
Fresh coriander leaves

Make tamarind sauce. Arrange the betel leaves, shiny side up, on a serving tray. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the prawns. If using raw prawns, cook for about 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. If using cooked prawns just cook them for a minute or so, to heat through. Add the tamarind sauce and stir to coat well.

Arrange a few peanuts and one prawn on each betel leaf. Divide any remaining tamarind sauce left in the pan between the prawns. Sprinkle with crispy fried shallots, if using I didn’t use them in the photo. Top each one with a coriander leaf or two.

To eat the Miang Kham just pick up a betel leaf, pull the sides together to enclose the filling then pop it into your mouth.

Makes 8

Variations: use cubes or strips of chicken or scallops instead of prawns. Use lettuce or radicchio leaves instead of betel leaves.

Scotch Eggs in the Air Fryer

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A hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried becomes a Scotch egg.

There are various explanations regarding the origin of the name of these traditional British snacks. They were first mentioned in Britain in publications from the early 1800s, so they have been around for quite some time.

The advent of the air fryer makes cooking them so much easier and healthier. Instead of deep frying, just give them a quick spray with a can of oil before they go into the air fryer.

Served at room temperature they make a perfect addition to lunch boxes, summer buffets and picnics.

Serve with Spicy Tomato Sauce (recipe below) for dipping.

6 large eggs, hardboiled and peeled
600g pork sausages
1 very small onion, grated (optional)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup (or maybe a bit more) panko breadcrumbs (or ordinary breadcrumbs)
Fresh herbs or thinly sliced spring onion to garnish
Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce:
½ cup tomato ketchup
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbs vinegar
1 small onion, grated
1½ Tbs honey
½ tsp hot English mustard
2 tsp grated fresh ginger

While the eggs are boiling, remove the casings from the sausages and discard them. Mix the sausage meat with the onion, herbs, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into six and flatten each portion into a circle about four inches (10cm) in diameter. Place an egg on each, wrap the sausage meat around the egg and pinch to close any holes an make a nice oval ball. Roll each one in beaten egg then breadcrumbs, patting them in to cover evenly. Can be made ahead to this point and kept refrigerated for up to several hours. My eggs were not very big so I hardboiled 7 rather than 6.

Place the Scotch eggs in an air fryer in one layer and preferably not quite touching. Spray lightly with oil then cook at 200°C for about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes turn them over and spray again.

Remove from air fryer when cooked and leave to cool. Serve cut in half, garnished with herbs or spring onion and with the sauce for dipping.

Makes 12 egg halves

Sauce: heat ingredients together in a saucepan, then cool. Use as a dipping sauce for Scotch eggs, sausage rolls and empanadas.

Crunchy Beans with Humus and Feta

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This healthy dip or shared plate is delicious and easy to make. Even the grandkids loved it.

1 can white cannelini beans, drained thoroughly
1 good pinch chilli flakes
1 Tbs cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary or another herb (optional(
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs olive oil
1- 2 cups humus (bought or home made)
100g feta cheese, crumbled
Chopped fresh herbs to garnish or spring onion slivers
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat ovento 200C. Mix beans with chilli flakes, corflour, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic powder and olive oil. Line a shallow baking sheet with baking paper. Spread the beans over the paper in one layer. Bake for 20-30 mins or until golden and crunchy. Move them around a bit halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile spread humus over serving plate. Sprinkle feta over the top, then, the crunchy beans and a few fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with nice bread.

Serves 4-6 as a shared plate

Quick Falafel

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When we lived in Israel in the late 1970s, we loved the street food called falafel. Crispy chickpea patties served in a warm pita bread pocket with humus, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.

Falafel are traditionally made with chickpeas. Using a can doesn’t work – they end up mushy. This recipe uses red lentils instead of chickpeas which you just soak for an hour. The photo shows the falafel ready to fry – which is why they look a bit insipid. Next time I think I’ll make them a little bit smaller.

Falafel:
1 bunch parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 cup red lentils soaked one hour in cold water then drained
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and salt
4 tbs chickpea flour (besan flour)
¼ cup olive oil + extra for frying the felafel
To serve:
4 pita bread pockets
Hummus (bought or home-made)
1 small cucumber, diced
2-3 tomatoes diced (or 8-10 cocktail tomatoes)
½ red onion, diced
Coriander or parsley, chopped
Avocado diced (optional)
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the felafel. I use the food processor to finely chop the parsley and onion, then add the drained lentils, spices, salt, chickpea flour and olive oil. Process just enough to get a chunky mixture. You don’t want it smooth. Form into 2cm flattened balls with damp hands.

Deep fry or shallow fry the falafel or spray both sides with oil and cook them in an air fryer for about 10 minutes, turning once about halfway through.

Meanwhile warm or toast the felafel pockets. Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, coriander or parsley and avocado if using. Add a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, fill each pita pocket with some hummus, cucumber and tomato mix and two or three crispy warm felafel.

Serves 4

Broad Bean Garlic & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

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This recipe is adapted from one by Jamie Oliver and it’s a real winner.

A great way to use broad beans if you have them growing in the garden. Or a packet of frozen broad beans works well. In fact they are one of those vegetables, like peas, which freeze so well they’re almost as good as fresh ones.

500g broad beans, fresh or frozen
150g soft creamy goat cheese (see note below)
4 thick slices sourdough bread
2 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon (or parsley if you can’t get tarragon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Extra Virgin olive oil

Cook broad beans for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, refresh under cold water, then slip off and discard the outer skins and drain again. Add the tarragon and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix cream cheese with one of the cloves of garlic, crushed. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of plain yoghurt.

Toast the bread then rub with the other clove of garlic. I brushed both sides with a little olive oil and toasted them in a sandwich press.

Divide the cream cheese  between the slices of toast, top with the broad bean mixture and drizzle extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4

Note: Jamie uses feta cheese mashed with plain yoghurt. I used Aldi spreadable goat cheese which comes in a 150g pot. It’s soft enough that you may not need any yoghurt.

 

Pancakes with Sticky Pork and Vegetables

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These make a tasty mid-week dinner or something to serve as finger food with drinks. Instead of cooking a pork fillet you could use shredded leftover roast pork, beef, chicken or lamb.

Pancakes:
1½ cups cold water
2 eggs
1 cup sifted self-raising flour
2 Tbs vegetable oil
¼ tsp salt
Filling:
500-600g pork fillet
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Julienne sticks of cucumber, carrots and spring onions about 3″ long
Black sesame seeds (optional)
Sauce:
3 Tbs Hoisin sauce
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder

Mix all ingredients for pancakes in a food processor or blender, then tip into a jug. Make about 12 thin pancakes using just under a quarter of a cup for each. Use a non-stick pan and tip the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Lightly oil the pan before you start but you won’t need to use oil or butter for each pancake, because there’s oil in the pancake mixture. As you make them, stack the pancakes one on top of the other – they won’t stick to each other.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the sauce. Season the pork and place in a roasting pan. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce onto the pork, then brush over to coat thoroughly. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Turn the pork and baste halfway through cooking time. Slice pork thinly, then cut into strips. Place in a bowl and mix in most of the remaining sauce. Keep some for garnishing.

Lay pancakes out on a work surface.  Divide the shredded vegetables and pork between the pancakes, in a line along the middle, then roll up tightly. Cut each pancake in two, on the diagonal and arrange on a serving plate. Drizzle with remaining sauce then sprinkle with a few black sesame seeds. If serving as finger food, instead of drizzling with the remaining sauce, serve it in a bowl for dipping.

Serves 6

Variations: use shredded zucchini or red pepper (capsicum) instead of cucumber or carrot.

Crispy oven-baked Cauliflower Bites

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Serve these delicious, crunchy cauliflower bites as an aperitif or light meal. The ones in the photo are larger florets which we had as a light meal. I served smaller ones with Christmas drinks and they were a great success. All the preparation can be done several hours ahead.

1 small to medium cauliflower or half a large one
Batter:
2 Tbs Besan (chickpea) flour
1 Tbs cornflour (corn starch)
1 tsp each of turmeric, salt, oregano and paprika
2 eggs and a little water
Coating:
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbs sesame seeds
Dipping Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise (preferably home-made)
¼ cup sour cream or plain yoghurt
1 Tbs tomato sauce
A little chilli sauce such as Tabasco or Sriracha, to taste (optional)
Paprika

Cut cauliflower into florets – one or two bites in size. Mix the batter all together in a bowl with a fork, adding enough cold water to make a coating consistency. Add the cauliflower florets and toss well until thoroughly coated. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper.

Mix the coating ingredients in a shallow bowl. Remove cauliflower, one or two pieces at a time and toss in the crumbs, patting them on. Arrange in a single layer on the baking tray. Can be prepared in advance to this stage.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender (test with a skewer or sharp knife), golden and crispy. Smaller florets will take less time. Mix sauce ingredients together, sprinkle with paprika and serve with the cauliflower.

Makes 36-40

Note: feel free to use different herbs and spices such as dried basil, cumin etc

Curry Dip

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I’ve been making this dip since I was at school, which is quite some time ago. Served  with a colourful array of raw vegetables it makes a healthy accompaniment to drinks. Make it the day before serving, for the flavours to develop.

250g cream cheese
1 cup thick Greek-style yoghurt
4 Tbs mayonnaise (preferably home-made)
4 tsp curry paste or powder
1 Tbs grated onion
¼ cup raisins or sultanas, chopped finely
1 tsp sugar
Paprika to garnish

Have the cream cheese at room temperature. Mix with remaining ingredients and refrigerate, covered, overnight, for the flavours to develop. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with raw vegetables or crackers.