Long summer days make snacking essential. These recipes by Angela Casley are totally moreish and great for sharing with loved ones.
Whatever you’re in the mood for, these snacks will satiate your cravings. We’d suggest serving alongside a bowl of chips, fresh fruit and a cold drink.
Roasted carrots and
Serves 4
Salt brings out the flavour of sweet baby carrots. There’s no need to mess around with them much. They are delightful as they are.
1-2 bunches of baby carrots, peeled
1 Tbsp lemon oil
Salt and pepper
For the hummus
400g tin butter beans, drained
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp tahini
¼ cup chopped parsley
Zest of ½ lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch salt and pepper
Crusty bread, to serve
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Place the carrots into an oven dish. Drizzle with oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes until golden. Cool to room temperature.
- Blend the butter beans, garlic, tahini, parsley, zest, juice, oil, salt and pepper, blitzing until smooth.
- Smother the hummus on to a platter and top with carrot ready for scooping. Add the crusty bread on the side.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.Savoury potato and cheese beignets
Makes 16
Beignets are French doughnuts, usually made with sweet dough and dusted in icing sugar. These cheesy versions are savoury, using leftover mashed potato, served with chilli oil on the side. It’s best not to use olive oil in a deep-fryer. The flavour is too intense, and it has a low smoking point. Try canola oil or sunflower oil. These beignets can be piped on to baking paper and frozen – ready to cook.
200ml hot water
200g plain flour
½ tsp salt
Pinch chilli
1 cup grated parmesan
100g crumbled feta
½ cup finely chopped spring onion
½ cup mashed potato
3 eggs
Neutral oil, for cooking
Chilli oil, to serve
- Place the hot water in a pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the flour and salt, stirring vigorously until a dough forms. Remove from the heat.
- Add the chilli, parmesan, feta, spring onion, and potato, stirring well to combine. Cool.
- Place the dough into a bowl of a kitchen mix and turn it on low. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to form a glossy dough.
- To cook, heat a deep-fryer to 170C or fill a pot halfway up the side with flavourless oil.
- Use a damp hand to roll 4cm lengths of dough. Alternatively, put the dough into a piping bag and pipe it on to a greased tray, then transfer it to the fryer.
- Test one to ensure your heat is correct. Then, continue cooking in batches.
- Serve hot, with chilli oil on the side.
Filo tart with plum, honey and goat’s cheese
Serves 4-6
Sweet or savoury? This simple-to-construct tart nails both. Though the plums are particularly delightful in summer, you could also swap them for seasonal fare later in the year. Try figs in autumn, then in winter try pears. The final drizzle of honey is a must, complementing the goat’s cheese and thyme.
4 plum, stones removed
7 sheets filo pastry
25g butter, melted
100g soft goat’s cheese
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
3 eggs, whisked
125ml cream
2 Tbsp runny honey, to drizzle
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Lightly butter the base of a 20cm x 10cm tin.
- Lie a piece of filo on the clean bench. Brush with butter them fold like a fan in 2cm folds. Place it into the tin on one side with the folds sticking up. Repeat with the remaining pastry.
- Slice the plums and dot them into the folds of the pastry, the skin up. Do the same with the goat’s cheese.
- Combine the eggs and cream. Pour gently over the pastry. Bake for 25 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Once removed from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes. Then slice and serve with a good drizzle of honey.
