Gorgeous little bites for New Year or any gathering
Crispy polenta squares, chicory scoops with tabouleh and crispy potato galettes with smoked salmon - enough for a lovely spread.
Hello and welcome to Pen and Spoon! I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to my newsletter! This week it’s free for all because … festive season! If you like what you see please consider signing up to either the free or paid version. Just click below to check out your options - you won’t be committing yourself by pressing the button.
I’m away on annual leave just now, so this week I’m offering you three recipes from a few of my books that are perfect if you’ve got guests coming.
Crispy potato galettes with rosemary + garlic
The crispy potato galettes are divine - the recipe here makes two galettes but double the recipe and cut each one into quarters to make bites to go with drinks.
The key to this is slicing the potatoes very thinly - it's possible with a sharp knife but much easier on a mandoline or similar hand-held slicer.
3 tbsp goose or duck fat, or unsalted butter
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
400g Charlotte or other waxy potatoes, ideally all a similar size 1 tsp chopped rosemary sea salt flakes
To serve:
2 generous smoked salmon slices
2 tbsp crème fraîche
Serves: 2 | Takes: 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Place the fat in a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray and transfer to the oven for 2 minutes to melt. Pour the melted fat into a small bowl and stir in the garlic. Brush the residual fat in the tray all over the bottom so it's well covered.
Now make the galettes. Finely slice the potatoes with a mandoline or knife; slice and layer the potatoes in the roasting tray as you go to prevent the potatoes from discolouring. Closely overlap the slices to make a 12-cm circle. Brush with the garlicky butter and sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt flakes. Continue layering - there should be enough potato for each galette to have three layers - until you have used up half the potatoes. Repeat to make a second galette. Brush the tops of the galettes with the melted garlic fat and roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked through and crisp at the edges.
Serve with curls of smoked salmon on top and a spoonful of crème fraîche.
Polenta bites with green tapenade
Making tasty finger food for a crowd can be headache-inducing but this recipe is delicious and much of it can be prepared in advance. Make the polenta and tapenade ahead of time and it will take just 10 minutes or so to cut and fry the squares. Suitable for vegans.
MAKES: 25
PREPARATION: 10 minutes
COOKING: 15 minutes, plus 3 hours cooling and chilling
FOR THE POLENTA
750ml hot vegetable stock
140g instant polenta
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons potato starch or
cornflour, for dusting
3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
FOR THE TAPENADE
170g pitted green olives
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
90ml olive oil, plus extra for brushing finely grated zest of ½ lemon 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves freshly ground black pepper
Line a 20cm square baking tray with foil, letting it overhang the sides.
To make the polenta, combine the stock, polenta and salt and pepper in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir constantly until very thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano. Pour into the prepared baking tray and smooth the top with a spatula. Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge to firm up for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the tapenade. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well combined - you want a slightly chunky texture.
Taste for seasoning and set aside.
When the polenta is firm and you're ready to serve, lift it out of the baking tray and place on a chopping board. Cut into 4cm squares with a sharp knife. Spread the potato starch or cornflour out on a plate. Toss the polenta squares in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and fry the squares over a medium-high heat for about 4 minutes each side, or until golden.
Transfer to kitchen paper. To serve, arrange the polenta squares on a platter and top with a spoonful of tapenade. Best served hot.
These neat little bites might look a bit fussy presentation-wise, but when nature provides her own crockery it makes sense to use it. The key to the success of this dish is to chop everything very finely so the flavours really mingle and you get lots of each ingredient in every bite. Suitable for vegans.
Chicory scoops with almond tabouleh
Serves 4-6
45 g (1½ oz) flaked almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 generous handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped 40 g (1½ oz) red onion, finely
15 g (½ oz) dried cranberries, finely chopped
about 12 witlof (chicory) leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
30 ml (1 fl oz) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon ras el hanout sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Briefly toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, shaking frequently, until they take on a little colour and smell lovely. Watch carefully as they can burn easily. Pull the pan off the heat and put to one side.
Next, make the dressing. Simply put all of the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until combined.
Combine the parsley, onion and cranberries in a bowl and toss.
Finely chop the cooled nuts and seeds to make a nutty rubble and add to the bowl. Dice the apple very finely, leaving the skin on as it adds lovely colour, and add this too (don't chop it any earlier or it will turn brown).
Add the dressing to the tabouleh a spoonful at a time, tossing well after each addition. Stop adding the dressing when the tabouleh is coated (you might not need it all). Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Scoop a couple of teaspoons of the tabouleh mixture into each witlof leaf and arrange artfully on a platter if you feel inclined.