This time Italian style - if all things Italian is your bag then you might like what follows.
Here's a few salad sharing plate ideas :
Fresh Mushroom Salad
or Insalata di funghi freschi
Serves 8
300g chestnut mushrooms
150g parmesan shavings
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and white pepper
Clean and trim the mushrooms and slice thinly. Mix gently with the parmesan shavings. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt and white pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the mushrooms and parmesan and serve immediately.
I think you'd have to agree that it doesn't get much easier! To save yourself even more time you can prep, box and fridge the mushrooms and ditto the parmesan shavings. Make up the dressing and keep in a screw top jar in the fridge. You're ready to roll in a minute – two at the most.
Another all time winner for me would be frittata – everyone loves it and it is just as tasty served cold as it is hot.
Frittata
Serves 4
4 large eggs
400g cooked new potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped or 4 spring onions finely chopped
glug of rapeseed oil (2 tbsp)
black pepper
2 handfuls of grated mature cheddar cheese (50g approx)
1-2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
I use my trusted large frying pan for this task – the one I'm always droning on about - suitable to use in the oven as well as on the hob. I make this point because if you use this recipe then you'll be placing the frying pan under the grill – if you use an ordinary frying pan you may damage the handle, not to mention safety issues!
To begin, turn on your grill but before doing so check that the frying pan will slide easily into the space leaving at least two inches gap between the pan and the grill itself otherwise you'll burn the top and the middle won't be cooked.
Sauté the onion in a little rapeseed oil until softened. Add the cooked cubed potatoes. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl, add two large handfuls of cheese and black pepper.
Add the egg and cheese mixture to the onions and potatoes and cook on a medium heat on the hob for 2/3 minutes. Then place the pan under the grill and allow to cook for 2/3 minutes. REMOVE THE PAN USING OVEN GLOVES. Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you'll find that the egg mixture is still not quite cooked. Place the pan back under the grill for another2/3 minutes or until it is golden brown.
You have unlimited options to add to your frittata – you could begin with sautéing 200g diced chorizo which, as we know gives the delicious spicy oil. Then add the onions and potatoes as above.
To serve slide your cooked frittata onto a wooden board. Frittata looks impressive and inviting served hot and whole – you could if you prefer use a small circular cutter and cut individual portions – hot or cold. Sprinkle with the parsley either way!
Sides for your “Salads”
Broad beans with smoked bacon and walnuts
Serves 6 with other sides
60g walnuts
125g of smoked bacon
4 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
or 4 tsps of garlic paste
450g broad beans, blanched in boiling
water for 2 minutes (defrost if using frozen)
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
Heat a large frying pan until hot, then add the walnuts and dry fry for 3 minutes shaking the pan, until they are toasted. Set aside.
Add the bacon and garlic to the pan and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Add the broad beans, season with salt and black pepper and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stir through the parsley and walnuts before serving.
What I'm about to suggest goes above and beyond the call of duty!
You need to peel the broad beans – in other words take off the tough outer skin. I warn you this is a laborious task and you'll call me names - sometimes you've just got to get on with it. By all means leave the outer skin on if you can't be bothered but you are depriving yourself and your guests of the beautiful bright green bean – if grey is your colour with the skin on, then so be it.
There is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel – blanch and peel the broad beans when you've time – ahead of when you need them – watch rubbish daytime television to pass the time whilst peeling!
P.s. Optional additions – cubed feta cheese – cooked leftover chicken or cooked prawns.
Stromboli for the salad
As with mezze traditions and with our new sharing plates we should serve bread too.
I give you “Stromboli”. This is a recipe for those guests you are expecting that you know are going to say …. “I don't like … “.
If you are expecting a mixed age group or just want something different for supper this is the fastest pizza you'll ever make. It cheats in that you use a ready-made pizza base – if you're a purist knock yourself out and make your own base – in my defence my mission is to make your life easy.
Stromboli
400g prepared pizza dough or ready-made base
4 tbsp tomato paste
100g thinly sliced salami
120g baby spinach
100g thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
Generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning
Pre-heat your oven 220fan/200c/Gas 8. Place a large baking tray in the oven.
Place a dampened J cloth on your work surface. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the cloth – it will stop it sliding – make sure you leave enough to get hold of – you're going to lift it onto the hot baking tray that's in the oven at the moment. Unroll the pizza dough gently on the parchment.
Spread the tomato paste onto the base. Add the slices of salami, followed by the spinach and then the mozzarella and sprinkle with the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning. Roll up the base from the shortest side and brush with the olive oil - make sure it's seam-side down when placed on the tray.
WITH CARE remove the tray from the oven and then carefully lift the parchment and the rolled up pizza onto it. Place back in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown – check at 20 minutes.
When removed from the oven slice into portions to suit and serve.
Choose any of your favourite pizza toppings to create your own Stromboli – the fastest pizza ever.
Asda for the prepared pizza dough - £1.20 per 400g pack.
I know it's a tired cliché but – here are a couple of photos of the one I made earlier!
Fruit and Nut sides
Dates wrapped in Parma ham
Makes 20
1 tsp vegetable oil for greasing
20 dried dates – pitted
20 small cubes of parmesan or other hard cheese
10 slices of Palma ham, halved
Pre-heat oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5.
Lightly grease a baking tray large enough to fit all the dates.
Place a cube of cheese in each date and wrap in a half slice of Parma ham. If you need to you can secure each date with a wooden cocktail stick. Lay the dates on the tray and bake for 10 minutes or until the ham crisps up.
Serve hot.
I've served these to guests who do not like dates and have converted – the combination of flavours is perfect – sweetness of dates, saltiness of ham and zing of cheese.
Spiced almonds
Serves 4-6
1 tsp olive oil
200g blanched almonds
coarse sea salt
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the almonds and toss over the heat for 5 minutes until golden.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the nuts to a bowl, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Sprinkle the nuts generously with coarse sea salt and the paprika, toss the nuts to coat them in the seasoning. Leave to cool then transfer to a serving dish.
Another great “make ahead” side and definitely in the “keep it simple” category.
Don't do green?
Whilst not Italian, the next recipe definitely fits as a sharing plate!
I know there are many out there who quite simply “don't do green”. Salad doesn't necessarily have to be green – it doesn't have to be cold either, despite what the purists may say.
Lets expand the mezze concept - a mezze serves both hot and cold salads so why can't we - what's wrong with mixing it up – or if you want to use modern speak - fusion of different culinary cultures to create your own style of larger “salad” sharing plates.
I'll stop waffling and illustrate with an example :
Potato and Olive Salad
Serves 4/6
500g new potatoes
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
pinch of chilli pepper
salt
bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped
medium mild red or white onion, chopped finely
12 black olives
Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water until tender. Drain and cut in half – quarters if large, leave whole if small
Mix the oil with the lemon juice, paprika, cumin, chilli and salt.
While still warm turn the potatoes in the dressing, add the parsley, onion and olives and mix gently.
Why not tweak this recipe. Fry 200g of diced chorizo and use the delicious oil from it as part of your dressing adding an extra dimension and I think a worthwhile candidate for your first sharing plate shabang.
Why not serve it warm instead.
Please note no greenery – and I should clarify that the parsley in the recipe I class as garnish and technically not greenery – that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it – if you're really anti then you can always leave the parsley out but you might want to break the habits of a lifetime and try it.
An added bonus – this salad dish can be vegetarian or not!
There's more to come ...
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