If you’re looking to ease the appetites of guests early in the evening, turn to these delicious canape recipes from Angela Casley.
Why wait for the main course to serve moreish dishes to your dinner party? These breezy appetisers take the pressure off a heaving dinner table, delivering
Stuffed mini peppers with ricotta and pancetta
Makes 20
Not only are these stuffed baby peppers pretty in colour, they are quick to create. Allow three per person as they are a little taste sensation. You could use bacon instead of pancetta if you have some on hand.
200g ricotta
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
10 mini peppers, halved
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Advertise with NZME.10 slices pancetta, halved
Extra thyme leaves, to sprinkle
Oil, to drizzle
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, zest, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill each half of the pepper with the mixture, then wrap it in a piece of pancetta. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Preheat an oven to 180C. Place the peppers on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little extra thyme, drizzle over a little olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Mini white bean and roasted tomato tarts
Makes 24
Slow-roasting tomatoes really brings out the flavour and sweetness. Here, a savoury tart case is filled with a very simple bean puree, then a tomato plonked on top. It’s a mouthful of sheer delight. I always make my own pastry — it is so simple. By the time you think about buying it, you’ll have it made. But if that’s scary, buy it and simply cut out the circles for mini muffin tins.
Pastry
1 ½ cups flour
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Advertise with NZME.100g butter, cut into cubes
Pinch salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
Tomatoes
24 cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
Filling
390g tin white beans
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
- Preheat an oven to 180C.
- To make the pastry, place flour and butter into a food processor and blitz until fine breadcrumbs form. Add the salt and egg and combine to form a dough.
- Roll the pastry to ½ cm thickness and cut 24 circles the size of mini muffin tins. Line the tins and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Turn the oven to 160C.
- Place the tomatoes in a baking dish. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with thyme and season. Place into the oven for 25 minutes until soft and squishy. Remove and cool.
- For the filling, place the beans, garlic, lemon, olive oil and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Store until ready to serve.
- To assemble, place the pastry cases on a platter. Fill with bean puree and top with a tomato.
Avocado and prawn bruschetta
Makes 8
You won’t believe how quick and simple it is to make delicious bruschetta. It’s also a great way to use leftover bread that has perhaps gone a little hard.
8 slices sourdough
¼ cup olive oil
2 ripe avocados
1 tsp lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
½ cup basil leaves
300g cooked prawns
Extra olive oil, to drizzle
- Brush the sourdough slices with oil and toast in a pan until golden. Set aside.
- Mash the avocados roughly with the lime zest, juice, garlic, onion and chilli. Season with salt and pepper. Fold through half the basil leaves.
- Just before serving, spread the toast with avocado, and top with prawns and extra basil leaves.
More Great Recipes
For picnics, seafood and new-season strawberries.
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It’s Strawberry Season! These 28 Recipes Make Them Even Tastier. Fresh, baked, set in jelly or churned into icecream — what can’t the summer berry do?
20 Picnic-Ready Recipes That Are Perfectly Portable. Think sturdy tarts, packed sandwiches and indulgent cookies.
