Spooky treats: Halloween savouries to delight the little ones
Fill up your little ones with some scary savouries before they go out for tricks and too many treats!
Scary eyeballs MAKES ABOUT 32 SERVES 4-6 PREP AND COOK TIME 45 MINUTES 500g beef mince ½ cup (35g) panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs 1 small (70g) carrot, grated finely ¼ cup (20g) grated parmesan 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 egg 1 clove garlic, crushed ½ teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium (150g) onion, chopped finely 1 clove garlic, chopped finely, extra 700ml jar tomato passata (tomato cooking sauce or tomato purée) 1 cup (250ml) beef or chicken stock 200g tub cherry bocconcini, drained, sliced ⅓ cup (50g) sliced black olives
1 Combine mince, breadcrumbs, carrot, parmesan, paste, egg, garlic and oregano in a large bowl; season well with salt and pepper. Using damp hands, roll level tablespoons of mince mixture into balls. 2 Heat half the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs, in two batches, for 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until browned all over. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. 3 Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and extra garlic; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the passata and stock. 4 Return the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until meatballs are just cooked through and sauce is thickened. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 5 Preheat the grill; place rack on middle shelf of the oven, not too close to the grill. Transfer meatballs and sauce to a shallow ovenproof dish for serving. Place a slice of bocconcini on top of each meatball. Grill the meatballs until bocconcini is beginning to melt. 6 Top each meatball with an olive slice. Uncooked meatballs suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Guacamole monster SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 15 MINUTES
1 small (2.5kg) pumpkin 3 medium (750g) avocados 2 tablespoons mayonnaise ¼ medium (40g) red onion, chopped finely 2 medium (150g) tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves 2 tablespoons lime juice vegetable sticks or corn chips, to serve
1 Cut the top from the pumpkin. Hollow out pumpkin, removing seeds. Cut eyes and mouth into the pumpkin with a small sharp knife or a Stanley knife. Place pumpkin on a serving board or plate. 2 Process (or mash) avocado flesh and mayonnaise together in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in onion, tomato, coriander and lime juice. Season to taste with salt. 3 Spoon guacamole onto board and some in the mouth of the pumpkin. 4 Fill with vegetable sticks to serve. Not suitable to freeze.