People over on the 26th - any ideas !

EireEV

Hi,

I'm having 8 people over on St Stephen's day for a bite to eat - not thinking of cooking a main meal but rather having a selection of things to eat.

I don't want to get in all that crap part food so was just wondering if anybody had any nice Christmas recipe's that they think may work well for the occasion.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

EireEV

noby

Turkey curry?

muckety

If its 'nibbles' rather than a meal, you could look at getting in some of the following before the shops shut on christmas eve!:-


*Baguettes (throw in freezer until needed, crisp up in oven for a couple of mins) with nice colourful toppings such as red pepper humous, tapanade, goats cheese & cherry tomato etc. - very easy to assemble and look nice mixed on a couple of big platters.
*Plates of charcoutarie (sp?) - salami, chorizo, etc. from a good deli
*plates of cheeses cut up into bite size pieces, served with crackers and a few grapes
*tortilla omelette cut into bite size pieces (make that morning, serve at room temp, sprinkled with garlic).

and get them to eat up your christmas cake as dessert!

olaola

We always have the Christmas day dinner again. No cooking - it's all leftovers. It's just reheated in the oven in tinfoil pockets with turkey & pork fat on top

ALWAYS tastes great the next day!

mizzzy

Moroccan Vegetable Casserole
Serves 4

Spices for the marinade:
1 tsp of each of the following ground spices: cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, black pepper, cumin, coriander & paprika
Pinch saffron
2 cloves garlic
1 large red chilli, finely chopped

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
400g chickpeas or butterbeans
500ml vegetable stock
100g raisins or chopped dried apricots
1 tsp honey
Bunch coriander, chopped
500g root vegetables e.g. butternut squash, parsnip, carrots

* Roast the root vegetables e.g. butternut squash, parsnip, carrots
* Mix the marinade spices in a bowl. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the spice mix. Add the garlic and chilli and lower the temperature to cook gently for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time.
* Add the tomatoes, chickpeas (or butterbeans), stock and raisins (or apricots). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. It may be that the sauce it too thick at this stage (depends on the original consistency of the can of chopped tomatoes and the level of heat when simmering), but if so, just add a little water of more vegetable stock. Stir in the honey and the roasted vegetables.
* Heat again and add in the chopped coriander. Check for seasoning and serve with couscous or rice.

1)MULLED APPLE JUICE (for the designated driver!)

Serves 8
Ingredients
750ml (1 1/3 pints) pure apple juice
750ml (1 1/3 pints) bottled water
1 orange, preferably un-waxed
12 whole cloves
3 small cinnamon sticks
6 all spice berries
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
75g (3oz) golden caster sugar

Method
Pour the apple juice and water into a stain less steel saucepan. Wash the orange well in warm water and peel the rind thinly. Add to the pan along with the rest of the spices and sugar, heat gently. Adjust the spices or sugar to taste. Serve hot.

2)ROCKY ROAD BISCUITS
Ingredients
480g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
100g digestive biscuits
80g marshmallows cut in half
80g shelled hazelnuts, skinned and toasted

Method
Place the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Melt gently, stirring occasionally. Line a lightly greased Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Roughly break up the biscuits by hand and put in the bottom of the tin. Dot half the marshmallows and all of the hazelnuts around the biscuits. Pour the melted chocolate over the top, and shake the tin to get an even mix. Dot with the remaining marshmallows over the top. Chill in the fridge until just set. Remove and cut into squares using a sharp knife.


3)COOKIE DOUGHIE
Ingredients
300g butter at room temperature
1 egg
375g caster sugar
450g plain flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
250g chocolate chips or fruit

Ingredients to add to your cookies in place of chocolate chips
Sultanas
Raisins
Chopped apricots
Chopped mangos
Smarties
Chopped walnuts

Nuts to use
Almonds
Hazelnuts

Spices to use
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Method
Beat the butter, egg and sugar in a food mixer with the k-beater or paddle attachment until completely combined. Mix in the flour, then the baking soda. Finally add the chocolate chips or fruit.
The dough should stick together. If it is too crumbly, it means the butter was not soft enough, so beat for a little longer. If it still does not combine, add two tablesp9oons of milk.
Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for one hour. Roll out on a floured board to 5mm thick and cut into rounds with a pastry cutter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C/gas mark 32 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cook.


4)FESTIVE SPICE BISCUITS
Makes about 12 x 8cm biscuits
Ingredients
350g plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sieved
100g butter, diced
175g soft light brown sugar
1 medium-sized egg
4 tablespoons golden syrup

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Sift the flour, ginger and soda into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture is like breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre, add the egg and the syrup, and mix together to form a dough.
Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface, then roll out until 1cm thick. Cut out with 8cm cookie cutters. Place on a greased baking sheet and refrigerate for an hour. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the biscuits to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack. They will keep for around 5 days if in an airtight container.

enjoy:D!

Minder

Ottolenghi is a cookbook from a deli/bistro of the same name in London. It has some great recipes for finger foods. This one is for a turkey and sweetcorn meatball with a red pepper dressing. These are great party food and in keeping with the season.

Another Ottolenghi recipe that works well is Cauliflower fritters - I googled a recipe and found this one - it is supposedly based on the original recipe. I have made both these dishes and wouldn't hesitate to use them for a party.

Another idea to try is fresh rice paper rolls - the papers come dried in a packet and are rehydrated in hot water - typical of Vietnamese cuisine, they are served cold with dipping sauces. If you have a lot of leftover turkey meat, shred it and use as a filling with pieces of cucumber, spring onion and cranberry sauce for a seasonal touch - serve with a hoisin sauce or a sweet chilli sauce. Another seasonal filling is shredded duck and mandarin orange segments. You'll need to visit a chinese supermarket for the papers.

A tray of tortilla chips with a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese and cooked in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble - serve with either homemade or jarred salsa.

Get several heads of chicory and split to individual leaves - add a tsp of creme fraiche to each leaf and pile on a mixture of diced beetroot and orange segments with a sprinkling of crushed hazelnuts. Use both the red and yellow chicory to add more colour to the plate. These are a pleasure both to make and eat.

Quesadillas with guacamole - very easy to make - Jamie has a recipe here

Take a courgette and cut it into long strips about 5mm thick - brush with oil and grill on a ridge pan until cooked - just a couple of minutes. Mix some fresh ricotta with the grated zest of a lemon and some pepper and salt. Roll the courgette into a little barrel and fill the middle with the cheese. Secure with a cocktail stick.

Get a packet of puff pastry and some very good sausages and make your own sausage rolls - squeeze the meat out of the casings - roll out the pastry into a long rectangle - place the meat on the pastry and brush the outside edge with egg wash - roll up and brush the top with egg wash - cut into bite size pieces and bake in to oven for 25 minutes.

Another puff pastry recipe here, courtesy of Rick Stein - the tart works well with any slightly salty blue cheese if you can't get blue vinney.