RACHEL ALLEN

Every week, only in LIFE

It’s a tricky one being invited to someone’s house for ‘drinks’. Do you eat before you go? Will food be served at the party? Or should you eat afterwards? If it’s a typically Irish kind of gathering, then the chances of the party ending after one hour and getting home to cook some food afterwards may be slim to none, so best to eat a small bite before leaving home to avoid scoffing nothing but crisps all night and ending up under the kitchen table at your host’s house or with the mother of all hangovers the next day, or worse: both!

Rain or shine, if you serve some kind of food you’ll have happy guests, but being practical is key. Finicky canapes are often harder work than food served at the table, so choose wisely. Go for a selection of brilliant bruschetta with delicious toppings, easy to prepare and nicely substantial too. One of my favourite bruschetta toppings is the pea guacamole recipe here where, basically, peas replace avocados for what is really a boldly flavoured pea puree. I remember many years ago when Antony Worrall Thompson came to teach at Ballymaloe Cookery School, he made something like this and served it on tortilla chips with a blob of creme fraiche and a thin slice of red chilli sitting on top.

It’s also really good with grilled fish, of course. The bruschetta is best if served while still warm. If the sun is shining and everyone’s outside, you could cook them on the barbecue, and top them with the guacamole and Serrano crisps, then hand them out straight away. Other great toppings for the bruschetta are the usual suspects like roasted peppers, char-grilled aubergines, and pesto, but I also love goat’s cheese with rocket leaves and a drizzle of honey, and roasted smoked salmon with horseradish sauce, or pulled pork with apple or sweet chilli sauce.

Just because it’s summer, don’t dismiss the idea of serving soup. Poured into small cups with a tiny drizzle of pesto over the top, like in my recipe, makes a comforting canape whatever the weather, that conveniently, can be made in advance.

BRUSCHETTA WITH PEA GUACAMOLE AND SERRANO CRISPS

(Pictured) Serves 20-30 as a canape.

For the pea guacamole you will need:

450g (1lb) peas ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon coriander seeds 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons chopped coriander ½-1 fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Good pinch of salt

For the Serrano crisps, you will need:

About 6 slices of Serrano ham, or you could also use Parma ham

For the bruschetta, you will need:

About 10-12 slices of really good bread; I used sourdough in the photo here Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle A cut clove of garlic, optional First make the pea guacamole. Place a saucepan containing a few centimetres of water and a nice pinch of salt over a high heat and bring up to the boil. Tip in the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender but still bright green. Refresh under cold water and drain.

While the peas are cooking, place the cumin and the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan sitting over a medium to high heat and cook for a minute or so until slightly darker in colour, and fragrant. Crush the seeds using a pestle and mortar.

Place the peas in a food processor with the extra virgin olive oil, the lime juice, the chopped coriander, the chopped chilli, the crushed cumin and coriander, and the salt, and whizz for 1-2 minutes until almost smooth. Taste, correct the seasoning if necessary, put into a bowl and cover until needed. If you’re making this in advance and are storing it in the fridge, do make sure to bring it up to room temperature before serving it — the flavours will be so much better.

To make the Serrano crisps, lay the Serrano ham or Parma ham, whichever you are using, out in a single layer on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas 4) for a few minutes until crisp. Simply take out of the oven, allow to cool slightly, then break into pieces.

When you’re nearly ready to serve, you can start on the bruschetta. Place a griddle pan (with ridges if possible) on a high heat and allow to get really nice and hot — it could take about 5 minutes to preheat. When hot, place your slices of bread on the pan and cook on one side until lovely deep-brown lines appear and then turn over to cook on the other side. Remember, a lot of the flavour will come from the almost charred lines on the bread.

Once the bread is grilled, take it off the pan and immediately drizzle both sides with extra virgin olive oil and if you wish, rub just one side of each with a cut clove of garlic. While it’s still warm, cut the bread into smaller pieces, spoon some pea guacamole over it, then top with a ham crisp and serve immediately.

MINI CRAB CAKES WITH THAI DIPPING SAUCE

Makes approx. 50 mini crab cakes for little bites to serve with drinks, or 12 bigger cakes.

For the Thai dipping sauce, you will need:

110ml (4fl oz) Thai fish sauce 110ml (4fl oz) freshly-squeezed lime or lemon juice (about 2 limes or 1 lemon, but measure to be sure) 75g (3oz) caster sugar 2 small cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated 2-3 hot red or green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

For the crab cakes, you will need:

110g (4oz) butter 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated 4 tablespoons white wine 450g (1lb) cooked crab meat Salt and freshly ground pepper 200g (7oz) fresh or frozen white breadcrumbs 1 egg, whisked 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons chopped coriander (you can chop the small stalks too) 6 spring onions, chopped ½ tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or 1 deseeded and chopped chilli)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ½ tablespoon soy sauce

To cook:

2-4 tablespoons olive oil First make the dipping sauce — mix together the fish sauce, the lime or lemon juice, whichever you’re using, the caster sugar, the garlic and the chillies in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Next make the crab cakes. Place a pan over a medium heat, add the butter and when it is melted, stir in the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the wine and the crab meat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Place the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and add in the whisked egg, the mustard, the chopped coriander, the chopped spring onions, the Tabasco or chopped chilli, whichever you’re using, the Worcester sauce, and the soy sauce. Tip in the crab meat, the garlic and all the juices in the pan, and mix well to combine. Shape into little balls, the size of walnut shells for mini ones, or 12 large patties .

To cook the crab cakes, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a frying pan. Place on a medium heat and when hot, add a few of the crab cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing regularly, until nice and golden. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the rest of the crab cakes, adding more oil as necessary.

Serve with the Thai dipping sauce.

FENNEL AND POTATO SOUP

Serves 16 as a canape, or 4 as a starter.

You will need:

25g (1oz) butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped 1 fennel bulb, fronds cut off and reserved, bulb cut in to roughly 1-2cm (½-1 inch) chunks Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 600ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock 75ml (3fl oz) milk 75ml (3fl oz) cream

To serve, you will need:

1-2 tablespoons pesto, such as parsley pesto (recipe below) Place a saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the butter and, when melted, stir in the onion, the potato and the fennel. Season with salt and pepper, then turn the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the chicken or vegetable stock, whichever you’re using, and bring up to simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are completely tender. Add the milk and cream, then liquidise and taste for seasoning. Divide between espresso cups or bowls, scatter with the reserved fennel fronds and drizzle a little parsley pesto over the top of each.

PARSLEY PESTO

Makes about 150ml (5 fl oz)

You will need:

25g (1oz) parsley, roughly chopped 25g (1oz) finely grated Parmesan cheese 25g (1oz) pine nuts or blanched, peeled almonds 1 clove of garlic, crushed 75ml (3fl oz) extra virgin olive oil Sea salt Place the roughly chopped parsley in a food processor and add in the grated Parmesan, the pine nuts or almonds, whichever you’re using, the garlic and a little of the olive oil. Whizz up until almost fine, then add in the remaining olive oil and add a pinch of salt to taste. Use straight away or decant into a sterilised jar, cover with 1cm (½in) of oil and store in the fridge. This pesto will keep well in the fridge for about six months.