Canapes, finger food, snacks, nibbles: whatever we call them and whatever occasion we’re making them for, these bits-and-bobs foods are very often my favourite thing to eat, especially at this time of year. They’re almost impossible to resist, yet, being small, they also have the benefit of leaving plenty of space for the next feast to come. They’re also not so much about a set list of recipes as a collection of flavours to be kept close at hand. So here’s to cinnamon and citrus, to port and pomegranate, to festive aromas and colours, and the season’s seemingly endless opportunities to snack.
Beetroot and orange chaat with mini poppadoms (pictured top)
This dish draws inspiration from chaat, a knockout Mumbai street snack featuring that popular South Asian spice mix, chaat masala. The result is a little bit sweet and spicy, a little bit funky and sour, and an altogether apt combination for many a celebratory get-together. Everything can be made a day ahead, too.
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 8, as a canape
250g packet ready-cooked beetroot (not the vinegary kind), drained, patted dry and cut into roughly 1cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 orange, 2 wide strips of zest pared off and thinly sliced, then juiced, to get 3 tbsp
10g ginger, peeled and finely grated (½ tsp)
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp lemon juice
250g Greek yoghurt
½ tsp chaat masala, plus extra to serve
65g mini poppadoms
75g pomegranate seeds (ie, from 1 small pomegranate)
10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Put the beetroot, oil, a half-teaspoon of salt and a good crack of pepper in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Fry, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until lightly caramelised, then stir in the orange juice and ginger, and cook for another two minutes, until the liquid has completely evaporated.
Take off the heat, stir in the pomegranate molasses, leave to cool for five to 10 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice.
Mix the yoghurt, chaat masala and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a small bowl, then spoon it into the centre of a serving plate. Make a roughly 10cm-wide well in the middle, then pile the beetroot into it. Arrange the poppadoms around the edge of the yoghurt, then sprinkle the orange zest, pomegranate seeds, coriander and a few pinches of extra chaat masala all over the top.
Festive fruit and nut topping
This is such a great thing to have to hand for the coming weeks. It’s a brilliant addition to a festive board of ham and cheese with crackers, and it makes a great impromptu pudding, too, sprinkled over thick yoghurt, for example. If stored in a sealed container, it will keep at room temperature for up to a week, so by all means make a double or triple batch, if the mood takes you; a jar also makes an excellent gift to take to a party.
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 8 as part of a cheese board
150g raisins
150ml port
1 tbsp brown sugar – any kind will do
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
50ml olive oil
50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
25g pine nuts
50g pecans, roughly chopped
Put the raisins, port, sugar and spices in a small saucepan and cook on a medium-high heat for about eight minutes, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Pour into a medium heatproof bowl and leave to cool.
Clean the pan, add the oil and all the nuts, and return it to a medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, for eight minutes, until the hazelnuts turn lightly golden, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, tip the nuts into the raisin bowl and stir to combine.
Spoon the fruit and nut topping into a shallow bowl, then serve alongside cheese, ham or paté, and crackers.
