Tag Archives: appetiser

Stuffed Marinated Courgette Rolls

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A delicious starter stuffed with your favourite filling.

Serve as part of a menu together with:
Main Course: Balsamic Chicken with Fruity Quinoa
Dessert: Frozen Coffee Banana After Dinner Drink

Serves 4

3 courgettes, shave thin slices using a mandolin slicer, do not use the middle part containing the seeds
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Stuffing 1
1 sundried tomato
1/3 red pepper
100 ml Greek Yogurt

Stuffing 2
3 Walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ clove of garlic, crushed
salt
100 ml Greek Yogurt

Stuffing 3
100 ml Philadelphia cream cheese
Shrimp (or smoked salmon), chopped

Chopped red pepper and walnuts to decorate

  1. Marinate the courgette slices in the lemon juice for at least 30 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Combine the ingredients for the 3 stuffings in separate bowls.
  3. Arrange 2 courgette slices lengthwise, overlapping a little bit on the long side., creating a wider courgette slice. Place a spoonful of stuffing at one end and roll up tightly. Place standing up on a serving plate. Make 2 more rolls with the other stuffings. Decorate the plate with the walnuts and peppers and serve.

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Bresaola Basket with Pea Pesto

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The saltiness from the bresaola and the mildness from the pesto makes these little nibbles a perfect start of the evening.

Makes 20

10 slices of bresaola
200 ml green peas
2 tbsp olive oil
50 ml grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
salt
cress, for decoration

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Cut the slices of bresaola in halves and put them in small moulds so they get the shape of a small basket. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then take out and let cool before removing them from the moulds.
3. Mix the peas with oil, parmesan and sunflower seeds. Taste and add salt if needed. Add the pesto to the bresaola baskets and garnish with cress.

Crackers with Glazed Onion and Blue Cheese

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Most of this starter can be prepared a day ahead. Serve it as a starter or mingling food, depending on your mood.

Serve with:
Main course: Chicken and Aubergine skewers with Dukkah and Sallad
Dessert: Warm Mango with Ginger and Honey

Yields one tray of cracker and 6 servings of topping

crackers:
80 ml sunflower seeds
50 ml linseed
50 ml sesame seeds
50 ml pumpkin seeds
200 ml cornflour
250 ml boiling water
50 ml olive oil
sea salt

topping:
3 red onions, peeled and each divided into 8 sections
2 shallots, peeled and each divided into 6 sections
olive oil for frying
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
75 g blue cheese of your choice
sea salt and pepper

1. Start off making the crackers: Heat the oven to 150 degrees. Mix the seeds with cornflour. Add boiling water and olive oil and mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet on a baking tray and make sure to spread it out to make it as thin as possible. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
2. Now prepare the glazed onions: Fry the onions in a generous amount of oil in a pan on medium heat for about 15 minutes to soften the onion without burning it. Add the vinegar and sugar, mix and fry for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Until here you can prepare a day ahead.
3. On the day of serving: Heat the oven to 225 degrees. Break the cracker into pieces. Divide onion mixture over the crackers and add pieces of cheese on top of the onion. Gratinate in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve as it is or with a salad.

Cheese Ball with Black Lumpfish Roe

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A beautiful appetizer to be served with crackers, celery or maybe cut up cucumbers. Can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge.

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As it is quite rich, it goes well with a light main course, such as the Asian Monkfish and the Cool Creamy Strawberry Dessert.

150 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3 tbsp crème fraiche or sour cream
½ finely chopped red onion
70 g lumpfish roe

  1. Mix the cream cheese, crème fraiche and onion together.
  2. Transfer to a bowl covered with cling film, turn upside down onto plate and remove the cling film. You now have a smooth half ball.
  3. Spread the roe on top.

Dates with blue cheese and parma ham

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This nibbling food can quickly be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge until you want to cook it in the oven. Follow with a cauliflower crust pizza and finish off with a fresh fruit sallad with homemade ice-cream.

Serves 6

1 package pitted and dried dates
150 g blue cheese
1 package parma ham
toothpicks

1. Stuff each date with some blue cheese, wrap half a slice of parma ham around the date and secure it with a toothpick.
2. Roast in the oven at 200 degrees for around 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Grilled chorizo with roasted red pepper and cheese

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Start off the weekend with a few appetisers while getting things ready in the kitchen. These are part of a menu with an asian-style chicken as main course. Enjoy!

Serves 6

200 g cooking chorizo, cut into pieces 1 cm thick
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 4
1 red chili, deseeded and halved
150 g philadephia cheese
fresh thyme, for decoration
salt and pepper

1. Fry chorizo in a pan or grill until nicely coloured. Put aside and let cool.
2. Roast red pepper and chili on a tray in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Take out and put into a plastic bag, let cool. Remove the skin and chop the red pepper and chili. Mix with the philadelphia cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Put the cheese mixture into a piping bag and keep in the fridge until serving.
3. Pipe a bit of pepper-cheese mixture on top of each piece of chorizo. Top with a sprig of thyme.