A good party is not about cooking so many intricate and glamorous recipes that you become frazzled by the experience. Better to be a bit clever and prep as much as possible in advance, and to make things that will excite people without giving you a nervous breakdown.
Here are five dishes that mix traditional flavours and ingredients with a touch of the unusual: a collection of light bites bursting with flavour that can be served as fun canapes or light starters, and with as little last-minute faff as possible. Have very happy Christmases, all.
Mustard and muscovado roast ham hocks with celeriac, apple, raisin and parsley salad
You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a slap-up feast at Christmas. Hocks are a fraction of the cost of a whole ham. Serves eight to 10 as a generous first course.
2 smoked ham hocks, each about 250g
1 onion, peeled
8 cloves
440ml cider
½ tsp black peppercorns
100g dark brown muscovado sugar
1 pinch ground cloves
75g English mustard
For the celeriac salad
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
30g currants (or raisins)
A squeeze of lemon
75g natural yoghurt
35g mayonnaise
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
½ celeriac (about 350g), peeled
2 granny smith apples
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, picked and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soak the hocks overnight in a large pan of cold water, then drain – this removes excess salt. Stud the onion with the cloves, then put it in the same pan with the drained ham, cider and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover, then clap on the lid and bring to a boil. Turn down to a low simmer and leave to cook for two hours, until tender (top with boiling water to cover, as necessary).
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Lift the hocks out of the pan and on to a board. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin with a sharp knife, but leave the fat on the hams. (Use the skin to make crackling – it’s a fun garnish on the salad, for instance, or chop it into strips and serve with apple sauce as an extra-tasty nibble.) Lightly score the fat all over in a diamond pattern.
Mix the muscovado sugar, ground clove and mustard into a paste, then smear over the hocks. Spoon a ladle of ham stock into a roasting tin (this will help keep the meat moist), and put a rack in the tin. Sit the hocks on the rack and roast for 30-35 minutes, until the fat is golden and glazed, then remove and leave to rest.
Meanwhile, start on the salad. Heat the vinegar in a pan, then pour it over the raisins in a small bowl and leave to soak for five minutes. Mix the vinegar and raisins with the lemon juice, yoghurt, mayo and wholegrain mustard. Using a mandoline (be careful) or the slicing attachment on a food processor, very finely slice the celeriac and apples, then toss in the dressing with the parsley and season generously.
Pull the meat from the hocks in bite-size chunks and serve warm or cold with the celeriac salad, either on individual plates as a light first course, or as a canape (rest a little shredded ham on individual chicory leaves and top with the celeriac and apple cut into matchsticks, so they fit in the leaves). An added bonus is that you should have some ham left over to eat cold during the festivities.
Burrata, beetroot, beetroot crisps, dukkah, watercress
There’s an exotic mix of Italian and Middle Eastern flavours going on here. This makes more dukkah than you need here, but the upside is you’ll have some ready to sprinkle over all sorts – I particularly like it on eggs and kedgeree. Serves four as a starter, more as a nibble.
6 small beetroot (80g each), trimmed
2 large burrata
100g watercress, washed and dried
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
Olive oil, for roasting
For the dukkah
75g toasted hazelnuts
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp sesame seeds (a mix of black and white, ideally)
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 tsp flaked sea salt
For the vinaigrette
2 tbsp good-quality red-wine vinegar
Zest and juice of ½ orange
½ tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put the beetroot in a small pan of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Meanwhile, put all the vinaigrette ingredients in a clean jam jar, season generously, screw on the lid and shake to emulsify.
Once the beetroot is cooked, drain and rub off the skins (wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from both heat and stains). Cut four of the beetroot into quarters, put in a bowl and toss in the vinaigrette while they’re still warm.
Meanwhile, put the hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for five minutes, until pale golden. Grind the remaining dukkah ingredients with a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, then add the nuts and grind into rough crumbs.
Very finely slice the remaining two beetroot into rounds (use a mandoline, if you have one) and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay these on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until starting to crisp. Transfer to a sheet of kitchen towel, to drain off any excess oil.
Divide the watercress between four plates and top each portion with half a burrata, four beetroot quarters, a scattering of the beet crisps and some pomegranate seeds. Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle with dukkah. To turn the dish into a canape, spread the burrata on pitta crisps or crostini, and top with the beets, seeds, a drizzle of dressing and the dukkah.
Salt cod fritters with allioli and watercress salad
If you can’t get hold of salt cod, it’s simple to make at home: take a 250g piece of boneless loin or steak, place on a layer of sea salt in a plastic container, cover with more salt, then pop on a lid and refrigerate for up to five days (you can add other flavourings, too: fresh herbs, say, or chopped garlic). Turn the fish every day, pouring off any liquid it gives off, then soak, prepare and cook as below. Salt cod gives these fritters a glorious flavour, but you can also make them with unsalted fish. If need be, you can cheat with the allioli by mixing crushed garlic into top-notch mayo. Makes about 20 fritters, for a canape platter or to serve four to six as a starter.
250g salt cod, soaked in cold water for 24 hours, water changed at least twice
300g floury potatoes (eg maris piper or desiree), peeled and finely sliced (ideally on a mandoline)
2 bay leaves
500-700ml whole milk
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 big handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp olive oil
35g plain flour, sieved
2 eggs
Sunflower or vegetable oil, to deep fry
For the allioli
2 egg yolks
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp cider vinegar
250ml olive oil
250ml vegetable oil
To serve
150g watercress
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon wedges, to serve
Put the drained cod, potatoes and bay in a pan and cover with milk. Bring to a boil and simmer for four to five minutes, until the fish flakes easily away from the skin. Scoop the fish out of the water and set aside to cool; leave the potatoes to simmer for five to seven minutes more, until almost falling apart. Drain the potatoes, reserving the poaching milk, then mash smooth with a tablespoon or two of the milk. Fork in the flaked fish, garlic, parsley, paprika and mustard powder, and season to taste.
Meanwhile, put a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add 150ml water. Bring to a boil, then take off the heat and add the flour, whisking vigorously, until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until combined, then stir in the salt cod mixture and cook over a low heat for three to four minutes, stirring constantly, until the mix thickens. Spread on a large plate or baking tray, and leave to cool.
For the allioli, put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, lemon and vinegar in a food processor and blitz briefly. With the motor running, add the oil drip by drip, until the mix starts to come together, then add the oil in a thin, steady stream until you have a glossy, smooth mayonnaise. Season to taste, adding a touch more lemon, if you think it needs it.
Using two dessertspoons, shape tablespoons of the salt cod mix into quenelles or rounds. Arrange on a plate or oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour, to firm up, or overnight.
To cook the fritters, fill a wok or heavy-bottomed pan with enough sunflower oil to come 5cm up the sides, then heat to 180C (or until a small cube of bread turns golden in 45 seconds). Gently drop a few fritters into the hot oil – don’t overcrowd the pan – and fry for two to three minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen towel and serve at once; or make them all in advance and keep warm in a low oven or heat up later in a hot oven.
Just before serving, toss the watercress with the vinegar and oil, season and serve with the warm fritters, allioli and lemon wedges.
Grilled sesame chicken wings with sticky pomegranate, parsley and shallot salad
These are the definition of finger-licking good. Serves four as a first course.
12 chicken wings, tips removed
4 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp cold water
For the marinade
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed to a fine paste with ½ tsp salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
For the salad
Seeds from ½ pomegranate
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
½ shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, picked
Whisk the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and season. Add the wings, rub the mix all over, and refrigerate for half an hour.
Meanwhile, whisk the tahini and lemon juice (it will seize up a little), followed by the water, bit by bit, until the mix is the consistency of double cream. Season to taste and set aside. Mix all the salad ingredients except the parsley in a bowl, then season to taste.
Grill the wings under a hot grill or on a griddle pan for 20-30 minutes, turning them regularly, until golden and crisp on the outside and the juices run clear. Transfer to a large platter, spoon the sauce over the top, then toss the parsley leaves into the salad, spoon over the wings (or serve on the side) and serve at once.
Mini roast new potatoes with ajo blanco dip, sherry vinegar and grapes
Ajo blanco is a chilled Spanish soup made with ground almonds and olive oil. Here, I turn it into a rich, silky dressing for tiny potatoes and sweet grapes. Serves eight to 10 as a starter or canape (based on roughly three potatoes per person).
1kg baby potatoes
3 sage leaves
4 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
1 large pinch flaked sea salt
For the ajo blanco
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
125g blanched almonds
50g slice sourdough bread, broken into pieces
1 tsp flaked sea salt
150ml water
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp good sherry vinegar, for drizzling
3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 heads red chicory, finely sliced (or 1 large handful frisée lettuce, leaves separated and roughly chopped)
200g green or red grapes, halved
30g lightly toasted flaked almonds
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put the potatoes, sage, oil and sea salt in a roasting tin, toss to coat, then roast for 30-40 minutes, until golden, crisp and tender.
Meanwhile, blitz the crushed garlic and almonds until the mix is the texture of a very fine crumb and starts to smell strongly of almonds (five or six minutes should do it). Add the bread and salt, blitz again, then, with the motor running, slowly add the water and oil until it is all incorporated: the texture should be somewhere between a hummus and softly whipped cream (it will thicken while it stands, so you will probably need to loosen it with a dash more oil before serving). Season to taste.
Put three tablespoons of ajo blanco on each plate and use the back of the spoon to swirl it into a circle. Top with three or four potatoes, drizzle over a teaspoon each of sherry vinegar and oil, and scatter over a few bitter leaves, grapes and almonds. Alternatively, season the soup with a few tablespoons of sherry vinegar, ladle into bowls, decorate with grapes and almonds, and serve the spuds on the side for dipping.
Crab salad with Lincolnshire Poacher, paprika and green peppercorn gougères
A light crab salad with deeply cheesy, crispy bites. Makes eight large gougères to serve four as a starter, or 18-20 canape-sized ones.
250ml water
80g unsalted butter
½ tsp flaked sea salt
100g plain flour
1 tsp paprika
5 green peppercorns, crushed
4 eggs
130g Lincolnshire Poacher or a mature cheddar cheese, finely grated
For the crab
250g white crab meat
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 big handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
150g creme fraiche
3 tbsp good extra-virgin olive oil
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6, and line two or three baking sheets with greased parchment paper.
Mix all the crab ingredients in a bowl and season to taste; add more lemon juice, creme fraiche or oil, if you think it needs it.
Put the water, butter and salt in a pan, bring to a boil, then whisk in the flour and spices. Whisk until the roux comes cleanly together into a ball that comes away from the sides of the pan. Leave to cool a little, then beat in one egg until the roux comes back together, then beat in the cheese and the rest of the eggs.
Fill a cup with just-boiled water. Dip an ice-cream scoop (or two teaspoons) into the hot water, then scoop out eight large, smooth balls and place on the baking sheet (or 18-20 smaller ones); dip the scoop in the hot water before tackling each new ball. The smoother the gougères are before baking, the better, so to finish, dip a teaspoon into the hot water and run the back of it over each ball.
Bake for 30-35 minutes for the larger gougères, or 10-15 minutes for the smaller ones: they should be golden, crisp and light, with an almost hollow and slightly soft centre. (That said, there’s nothing wrong with underbaking them a little; they’ll just have more gooey cheese and less crunch.)
Serve warm from the oven on plates with the salad on the side (or, if you want to get ahead, leave to cool completely on a rack and serve later). To serve these as a canape platter, split open the mini gougères and stuff with the crab mix.
