Tapas

[Monel]

Step into a Spanish Tapas bar – what do you see? An assortment of small bite-sized snacks in which ham and cheese are but an example of ingredients that are used, small hand made pottery plates filled with warm food, omelettes, to bite size kebabs on a toothpick.

In such a place your tongue can experience a variety of texture and flavour even in your very own home.

 

[Monel]

Chicken wrapped in Bacon

makes about 24 pieces

Ingredients:
1 kg Chicken filet
1 tsp fresh Coriander
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chutney of your choice
12 slices of bacon cut in half
Toothpicks or cocktail toothpicks.

What to do:
1.) Pre-heat the oven at about 250°C
2.) Slice the chicken filet into thin strips. Then mix the coriander with the chutney of your choice. Add salt and pepper for seasoning and marinate the chicken in this mixture.
3.) Take a chicken strip and roll it in the bacon, seal the deal with a toothpick wink
4.) Now this is optional, if you can fry it, do so till the bacon is crispy (as the strips are thin doesn’t require that much of cooking time) But I prefer a more healthier method.
Get a baking sheet and cover in wax-paper to prevent anything from sticking. Silicon mats work as effective. Then place the chicken wraps on the baking sheet with a finger space in between. let it cook for 10 – 15, till bacon turns golden brown and that the chicken is fully cooked.
5.) Once done let the chicken rest on kitchen paper, to remove the excess oil and fat that will drip off.

Serve warm.  

[Monel]

Carrot and potato dip

Ingredients:
750 g carrot, cut in small cubes
500 g potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes
½ tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp cumin seed
1 chilli pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

What to do:
1.) Cook the carrots and potatoes in water that has a little bit of salt.
2.) Drain the liquid and blitz with either a mixer or blender and add the rest of the ingredients except the oil.
3.) Now, take the oil and; while the blender is still blitzing he mixture, add the oil, drop for drop till all is mixed well.
 

[Monel]

Hummus; bi tahina

Ingredients:
150 g chickpeas, soaked
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp tahin (sesamepaste)
1 tsp cumin seeds
the juice of 2 lemons
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika

What to do:
1.) Chickpeas take the longest to cook, so if you have fresh chickpeas cook it in water for about an hour, or get chickpeas that are already prepared and follow its instructions
2.) Puree all the ingredients except the paprika till it is a thick creamy texture.
3.) Place the hummus into a bowl and garnish with the paprika.


 

[Monel]

Cheese and Bacon Nachos

Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon, finely sliced and diced
6 spring-onions, finely chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, finely sliced
200 g tortilla chips (or Doritos)
125 g cheese, grated
225 ml sour-cream

What to do:
1.) Pre-heat the oven at a 180°C.
2.) Place the bacon, spring-onion, and peppers into a frying pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes or till bacon is crispy. Let it dry on kitchen paper to remove the excess fat and oil.
3.) Put the tortilla chips in a shallow oven plate, spread it around evenly.
4.) Sprinkle the bacon mix over the tortilla chips then finish off with the grated cheese.
5.) Bake the mix for 5 – 8 minutes or insofar that the cheese is melted.
6.) Serve directly, with the sour-cream set aside in its own little bowl and if you wish garnish with spring-onions.

 

[Monel]

Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:
8 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 medium red onion finely chopped
10 basil leaves, cut in small strips
pinch herb and spice mix (pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder) for herb-butter
1 tbsp olive oil
30 ml balsamic vinegar.

What to do:
1.) Mix the onions, tomatoes, basil, spices, olive oil and the balsamic together in a bowl.
2.) Serve on either fresh bread or with salads.

 

[Monel]

Guacamole

Ingredients:
1 avocado, removed of stone and scooped out
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coriander and parsley

What to do:
1.) Put the avocado in a bowl, and prod with mash with a fork. Then stir in the tomato, lemon juice, coriander and parsley. Stir well.

 

[Monel]

Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto

Ingredients:
250 g green asparagus, cleaned
4 slices of prosciutto

What to do:
1.) Cook or steam the asparagus and cool them under a stream of cold water. Dab them dry with kitchen paper.
2.) Cut the prosciutto insofar through the length that you end up with three strips. Wrap each strip around an asparagus.

serve cold.

 

[Monel]

Sausage Parade

What to do:
1.) The most supermarket and delicatessen stores offers a variety of sausages that would be perfect for snacks. Make your choice, warm them up, cut them in bite size and serve with a sauce of you choice. The following listed are a great sample of what you can choose from:

- Bratwurst (Either pig or beef are a great choice) Grill this till it is cooked.
- Chipolata sausage (an Italian spicy sausage) this you can warm up in boiling water


 

[Monel]

Honey glazed spare-ribs

Ingredients:
2 kg spareribs, without excess fat
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
250 ml chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
125 g butter, unsalted and melted
4 small red peppers, finely chopped

For the honey-soy marinade;
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 spring-onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
375 ml rice wine vinegar
125 ml sodium arm soy sauce
125 ml honey

What to do:
1.) For the marinade: Mix the peppers, garlic, spring-onions, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and honey in a non-metal bowl. Add the spare-ribs, occasionally stirring while marinating for about 4 hours.
2.) After marinating, sieve the ribs from the marinate and keep the marinade. Roost the ribs for 8 – 10 minutes on the bbq till golden brown. Drizzle the marinade every so often. Then let it cool.
3.) Place the rest of the marinade, including the onions, parsley, broth, lemon juice in a pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes or till it has reduced by half.
4.) Pure the mixture and add the butter, this will be the sauce for the ribs.

 

[Monel]

Watermelon with lemon-syrup

Ingredients:
Zest of 1 lemon
25 g plain sugar
1 kg watermelon
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
toothpicks to serve with.

What to do:
1.) Bring the lemon juice and sugar to a boil, till the sugar starts to dissolve and a white clear syrup is made. Cool the pan with cold water, make sure water doesn’t get into the syrup. Then let it cool for 20 minutes
2.) Remove the flash of the water melon and cut it into bite-size proportions. Make sure you save the juice of the watermelon as much as you can. Then mix the mint with the watermelon
3.) Now, add the watermelon juice and mix it with the syrup. Then mix the juice with the watermelon right before serving. Finish it off with the lemon zest.

 

[Monel]

Ginger Wings

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken wings
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp sherry
50 g roosted sesame seeds.

What to do:
1.) Pre-heat the oven at a 180°C
2.) Twist and fix the wing insofar that a triangle is made and hopefully stays like that. Then place the wings in a large oven bowl.
3.) Mix the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds an pour it onto the wings.
4.) Bake the wings for 25 – 30 minutes, till golden brown and done. make sure to turn the wings over at least once.
5.) Finish it off by placing it on a large plate and sprinkle the sesame seeds before serving.

 

[Monel]

Spiced Olives

Ingredients:
450 g green or black olives
1 twig fresh oregano
1 twig fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, finely crushed
1 red chilli pepper, without the seeds, and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil

What to do:
1.) If the olive still has it pit, cut into the flesh from tip to tip only once. Mix the olives into a bowl with the oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chilli pepper and garlic.
2.) Put the olives into a plastic container, cover with the olive oil till it is saturated; seal and let it set for 3 days. Shake occasionally.