New Year nibbles
IBy now, if you’ve done things right, you should be thoroughly sick of turkey – I do hope you made stock with that carcass ; we all know turkey makes a really wonderful broth that can be used for soups and sauces over the next few weeks – and that your mince pie mountain is at an acceptable altitude.
Because it’s not over yet, and you probably still have plenty to do before New Year’s Eve. And with this in mind, I thought I might offer up a few ideas for some easy-tomake canapés for the celebratory night, or any drinks parties you might be having around this time.
There’s nothing quite so tempting as a really tasty canapé offered at a party full of laughter, conversation and interesting people, especially if the Champagne’s flowing.
All of these canapés can be made largely in advance and quickly whipped up at the last minute, and they will all hold in a low oven, so you’re not dashing about whilst trying to dress up, shoo the dog out of the room or get the kids to finally turn off their PlayStation.
Firstly, an old cocktail-party favourite of mine, that we used to make for 200+ guest parties in London when I worked at Prue Leith’s School.
The marmalade-roasted chipolata sausage is a miracle, at once porky and juicy, but with a delicious sticky caramelised coat made by slowly roasting the bangers in an emulsion of their own juices, a dol- lop of orange marmalade, and a splash of fresh orange juice.
Slowly the sauce thickens and caramelises around the sausage, making them utterly irresistible.
They’re good as they are, but I like to “fancy” mine up by splitting them and piping in some mashed potato, and topping with some crispy onions – it’s a new way of serving them for which I’m indebted to my old tutor Emma Crowhurst, undisputed Canapé Queen of Suffolk.
With the sticky sausages, a twist on the classic Greek spanakopita ; cheese and spinach puffs, full of rich cheesy flavour, tasty spinach and aromatic dill.
You’ll find these disappearing long before the guests arrive if you’re not careful, so make sure adequate security measures are in place before they leave the oven.
Finally, a trip to Spain, and a classic combination of black pudding and egg. It’s hard to find the special Morcilla sausage that the Spanish prefer, but I find the addition of caramelised onion and plenty of cumin gives the desired effect with our own home-grown black pud.
A little pastry tart (bought in – we’re not going to be masochistic here) with a few crumbs of crum- bled spicy black pudding, then topped with a quail egg and baked until just set, then sprinkled with some of that lovely smoked paprika, Pimentòn, the flavour of which instantly transports me to the warmth of Spain.
Something we might need at this time of year. I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and look forward to bringing you another 12 months of enticing recipes. Cheers!