Even if you aren’t hosting The Big Day itself this year, there’s bound to be a time when people drop in for drinks and nibbles.
There are some smashing party food options in the supermarkets these days – and I’ll definitely be trying some – but to really be the host with the most, I always like to make one or two things myself.
We always make our own sausage rolls because they’re so easy and much tastier than the shop-bought kind. Pick up some good quality sausage meat from your butcher if you can. With one pack of readymade puff pastry you can whip up a batch of my sausage and chorizo rolls and some veggie-friendly cheese and spring onion rolls. Both are excellent when warm from the oven.
The focaccia bites can be as simple as you like – buy your focaccia or make it from scratch. Top it with delicious things. Done!
But my favourite nibble of all is a hot, crispy, bite-sized onion bhaji. They’re much easier than you’d think and you can make them in advance then keep them warm in the oven.
I hope you enjoy all your festive feeds and have a thoroughly merry Christmas!
Chorizo-sausage rolls or cheese-and-spring-onion rolls
Ingredients
1 500g block of puff pastry (this will make 8 sausage rolls and 8 veggie rolls)
1 beaten egg to glaze
Grated cheese and sesame/poppy seeds to sprinkle
Cheese and onion rolls ingredients
140g mature cheddar, grated
4 sliced spring onions
3 tsp grain mustard
60g fresh breadcrumbs (about 3 slices of bread)
Large pinch of salt and pepper
1 large egg
Cheese and onion rolls method
1 Mix together all the filling ingredients
2 Roll out half the puff pastry into a long rectangle
3 Squeeze the filling mixture into a long sausage shape in the middle of the pastry
4 Brush the edge with beaten egg and fold it over the filling
5 Gently push down on the pastry to remove any air
6 Cut off any spare pastry and press the edges down with a fork to seal
7 Cut into 8 rolls and lightly slash the tops
8 Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with cheese
9 Bake for around 15 minutes at 180C until golden brown
Chorizo rolls ingredients
1 pack of chorizo cubes, fried off in a pan
500g good quality sausage meat
Chorizo rolls method
1 Mix the cooked chorizo cubes with the sausage meat
2 Roll out half the puff pastry into a long rectangle
3 Form the rolls using the same method as above
4 When cut into 8 rolls, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds
5 Bake for around 20-25 minutes at 180C until golden brown
6 Check the filling is cooked through by inserting a metal skewer and ensuring it’s hot to the touch when you withdraw it
Bite-sized bhajis
Ingredients
3 or 4 large onions, thinly sliced and no longer than 2-3”
150g gram (chickpea) flour
60g SR flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes
½ tsp ground garlic
¼ tsp turmeric
150ml water
1 tbsp table salt
Sunflower oil
Method
1 Sprinkle your sliced onion with the table salt and stir through. Leave it in a colander over a bowl for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally
2 Rinse it well to remove all the salt, squeeze out any excess water then dry the slices between kitchen paper
3 Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a bowl
4 Add 150ml of water to make a sticky batter
5 Add the dried sliced onion and stir well
6 Heat a couple of inches of sunflower oil in a small, heavy-bottoms saucepan
7 Test the heat by dropping in a little onion mixture – it should sizzle and float to the top
8 Drop heaped teaspoons of mix into the oil, cooking 4 at a time
9 Flip each bhaji over once or twice with a spatula and remove when dark golden brown
10 Serve with yoghurt mixed with a little mint sauce
Focaccia Antipasti
Ingredients
500g packet of ciabatta bread mix
Any chosen toppings – try fresh or sundried tomato, salami, Serrano ham, olives, cheese, rocket, roasted peppers, courgettes, red onion
Method
1 Mix and knead the break mix according to the packet instructions
2 Once rested, press it into an 8” square greased baking tin
3 Prod holes into the dough with your fingertips
4 Drizzle with olive oil
5 Allow to prove for 30 minutes then sprinkle with sea salt
6 Bake for 20-25 minutes at 200C until deep golden brown
7 When cool, slice horizontally through the middle and cut into 16 squares
8 Top each square with your choice of topping
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