The back catalogue – something different

Most of us only eat dates when hidden in a sticky toffee pudding – in other words when they don't resemble dates.

This next recipe is another cicchetti choice – it's “outside the box” - there's no avoiding the dates but it's worth the risk - the combination of sweet, salty and savoury works like a charm and is a perfect addition to your fusion mezze menu.

Dates wrapped in Parma ham

for 20 canapés

1 tsp of vegetable oil for greasing

20 dried dates – stones removed

20 small cubes of Parmesan or other hard cheese

10 slice of Parma ham, halved

Pre-heat the oven to 170fan/190c/Gas 5. Lightly grease a baking tray, large enough to fit all the dates. Remove the stone from the dates and replace it with a little cube of cheese.

Wrap each date in half a slice of Parma ham and fix each one closed with a wooden cocktail stick. Lay the dates on the lightly greased baking tray.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the ham begins to crisp.

Serve hot.

Prep ahead, cover and fridge until you're ready to bake.

The fact that this morsel contains dates lends itself very much to Middle Eastern cuisine too and so, despite Italian in origin, it's the epitome of fusion and perfect for your mezze spread.

Up next … a Lebanese salad

The back catalogue – portable pizza

… for little fingers

This idea fits the bill for the kiddies – it comes from “cicchetti”, the Italian style of tapas and is a small version of a pizza shaped like a pinwheel.

Stromboli

400g prepared pizza dough

4 tbsp tomato paste

100g thinly sliced salami

120g baby spinach

100g thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning

Pre-heat your oven 220fan/200c/Gas 8. Place a large baking tray in the oven.

Place a dampened J cloth on your work surface. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the cloth – it will stop it sliding – make sure you leave enough to get hold of – you're going to lift it onto the hot baking tray that's in the oven at the moment. Unroll the pizza dough gently on the parchment.

Spread the tomato paste onto the base. Add the slices of salami, followed by the spinach and then the mozzarella and sprinkle with the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning. Roll up the base from the shortest side and brush with the olive oil - make sure it's seam-side down when placed on the tray.

WITH CARE remove the tray from the oven and then carefully lift the parchment and the rolled up pizza onto it. Place back in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown – check at 20 minutes.

When removed from the oven slice into portions to suit and serve.

This pizza is a big hit. Make your own pizza dough or not - choose any of your favourite pizza toppings to create your own Stromboli – it's the fastest pizza you'll ever make and a great addition to a mezze, thali or, in this case cicchetti – covers all the bases - sorry.

If you buy a ready to use pizza dough bear in mind it needs to be rectangular – to save your legs, especially at the moment – Asda make an excellent product which is found in the chiller, close by the butter.

Coming up – final bits and pieces for your mezze, thali, tapas or cicchetti!

The back catalogue – koftas or burgers

This is another idea for your mezze or thali – it is great for little fingers to handle and we all know how much the kiddies like getting messy!

Koftas

makes 25/30 ish

500g of minced lamb

*salt and black pepper

*2 cloves of garlic, crushed or 2 tsps of paste

*1 tsp of ground cumin

*1 tsp of ground coriander

*pinch of garam masala

*pinch of chilli powder

1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste

1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

kitchen gloves or damp hands

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

a foil tray 23cms x 23cms

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the ingredients marked * and mix well. Add the tomato paste and the egg and combine. If you find the mixture too wet, then sprinkle a little plain flour into the mixture and fold in gently.

Using either gloves or damp hands your mixture should aim to be the size of a walnut (or 1 heaped teaspoon). Roll the mixture between your hands and when you've 8 or so heat the oil in a large frying pan. Seal the koftas on a low heat and carefully shake the pan to turn them – use tongs if you are accident prone!

At this stage you can continue to cook the koftas in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Alternatively let the koftas cool once sealed, transfer to freezer bags and freeze until required. Defrost and then place in a foil tray and warm in a pre-heated oven as above for 15 minutes.

You can “size” the koftas to suit. You could even turn them into a kofta burger.

I'd serve bowls of raita and mango for dipping too.

Next … an idea for little fingers

The back catalogue - Chicken salad …

… for the Thali

This “salad” is excellent hot or cold and is a great idea to include as part of a mezze or thali as they say in India!

It stands perfectly well on its own but better still as part of a party table. It's convenient in that you can marinade overnight and just pop into the oven when you're ready.

Tandoori chicken tikka salad

Serves 4

700g (1lb 8oz) chicken breast, cut

into chunks

Marinade

1½ tbsps ginger and garlic paste

½ tsp salt

1½ tsps green chilli paste

2½ tbsps white vinegar

5 tbsps vegetable oil

1½ tsps turmeric

1½ tsps red chilli powder

1½ tsps cumin powder

2 tsps garam masala

160g (5½ oz) Greek yoghurt

or low fat version

For the dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

In a bowl mix the chicken pieces with the ginger and garlic paste, salt, green chilli paste and the white vinegar and leave to one side.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the oil and turmeric. Add the red chilli powder, cumin poweder and garam masala to the bowl then mix well before adding the yoghurt. Combine the mixture thoroughly.

Add the chicken pieces to the yoghurt mixture. Use your hands to ensure the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the yoghurt marinade. Leave the chicken to marinade for at least an hour. You can leave it in the marinade overnight, this way the chicken will absorb all the flavours thoroughly.

Once the chicken has been marinated, place the pieces on an oven tray. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 20-25 minutes.

If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan version you can use Quorn pieces.

You'll not be disappointed!

The back catalogue – Middle Eastern main

… for the mezze

My favourite piece of kitchen kit is my slow cooker, it's a modern equivalent of the Middle Eastern cooking pot the tagine - the main difference being it uses liquid to cook the meat slowly – the results are the same, tender, melt in the mouth but with a bonus of a spiced gravy.

The word “stew” does not conjure up appetising thoughts. My back catalogue idea for a Middle Eastern main is many years old. The original recipe came from “Nigella Bites” called Aromatic Lamb-Shank Stew. The recipe serves whole shanks and includes lentils and also suggests serving with couscous.

What follows is my version which was tailored to suit my family and what they love and, more to the point, don't love!

4 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil

6 lamb shanks

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tsps garlic paste

sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsps cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

black pepper

3 tbsps honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Marsala

Using the oil, brown the shanks and place in your slow cooker. Fry the onion and garlic paste until soft, sprinkling with salt. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg and season with pepper. Add the honey, soy and Marsala. Tip the mixture over the shanks and cover with boiling water. Leave for as long as you like. 4 to 6 hours. Remove the shanks and strip off the meat – add the meat back to the gravy in the slow cooker.

The lamb is ready to serve when you are, fridge until required. You can cook ahead and freeze if that's more convenient, it gets better!

My mob isn't wild about couscous, however, they do love roast potatoes, so I serve this “stew” with the biggest pan of roasties I can. There's loads of spicy gravy and roast potatoes somehow fit. New potatoes would work just as well, just not as crunchy.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen food disappear quite so fast – absolutely nothing left – so, if you like the idea of a spicy roast “main” then this is for you, it's worth every second of prep and it's not complicated.

Then there's the thali ...

The back catalogue – the spuds

The following potato recipe would be a great addition to your mezze. It's different to the traditional tapas dish “patatas bravas” - quite obviously because it doesn't contain the traditional tomato sauce. The soured cream is served separately which gives your guests a choice.

Here goes :

Spanish Spuds

800g potatoes, cut into cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

1 garlic clove, chopped finely or

1 tsp garlic paste

1 medium red chilli, seeds removed

chopped finely

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

Pot of soured cream to serve

Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion until it colours. Add the garlic and spices, fry for 2 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and tip into the mixture. Turn to a high heat and shake the pan so that the potatoes are covered with the onion/spice mixture. Cook for 10 minutes until tender. Serve with soured cream.

I realise the recipe given is for a large quantity – it's difficult to say how many servings – it depends on the size of appetites - I would say eight to ten. You could halve the quantities if you wish but I've learnt from experience that potato based dishes are very popular. If you have leftovers they'd soon vanish the following day – part of a lunch box or a cold supper?

Next up, Middle Eastern and Indian mains ...

The back catalogue – the pide photos

If you want to keep it simple add a sprinkle of celery salt and/or garlic granules and a sprinkle of grated cheese – any cheese that melts will do!

Have a look :

 

I sprinkled mine with extra semolina and

Nigella seeds

More sprinkles – this time grated cheese

It makes a great snack served with bowls of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dunking – a glug of each – a glug = 2 tablespoons.

Make sure you've serviettes ready or may be even a bib!

Then there's the spuds ...