There’s so much variety in this chapter, from light and zesty ceviche to filling and comforting quesadillas and pulled pork. I love the homemade Jamaican food of my brother-in-law, Chris, and his dad, Felix. While I haven’t figured out how to make Felix’s Amazing Ackee and saltfish into a canape, I had to include a little jerk in the book, as no summer party feels right without it.
sea bass ceviche, lychee & chilli
1⁄8 red onion, finely chopped
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
200 g/7 oz. fresh seabass, cut into 1 x 2-cm/1⁄2 x 3⁄4-in. pieces
10g/1 tablespoon fresh red chilli/chile, finely chopped
3 lychees, diced
1⁄2 mango, diced
3 shakes of Tabasco
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
olive oil
25 canapé spoons
Makes 25
Put the finely chopped red onion and lime juice in a large mixing bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, cover and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
Serve on canapé spoons or tortilla chips.
tequila scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
200 g/7 oz. scallops, finely diced
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon tequila
salt, to taste
freshly chopped amaranth or baby coriander/cilantro, to garnish
15 canapé spoons
Makes 15
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan/skillet. Add the shallots and sauté over high heat until the edges are crisp.
Remove the shallots from the pan and put the pan back on high heat.
Add the butter to the pan, followed by the scallops. Let the scallops brown on one side, then turn over.
Add half of the lime juice and the tequila. Put the shallots back in the pan and cook with the scallops for a few minutes, until the scallops are just cooked. Taste for seasoning; you may want to add more salt or lime.
Serve immediately on canapé spoons with your chosen herb garnish. The scallops are best hot but can also be served at room temperature.
tuna & wasabi ceviche
1⁄2 teaspoon soy sauce
130 g/41⁄2 oz. sashimi-grade tuna steak, cut into 1-cm/1⁄2-in. cubes
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 avocado, cut into 1-cm/1⁄2-in. cubes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon wasabi
10-cm/4-in. piece of cucumber
1 spring onion/scallion, finely sliced, to garnish
garlic cress, to garnish
20 canapé spoons
Makes 20
In a bowl, sprinkle the soy sauce over the tuna and toss to mix. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the lime juice over the avocado cubes.
Peel the cucumber and scrape out the seeds, so you are left with firm flesh. Cut the cucumber into 1-cm/1⁄2-in. cubes and mix into the avocado, along with the wasabi and mayonnaise. Gently stir in the tuna.
Spoon onto the canapé spoons and garnish with sliced spring onion/scallion and garlic cress.
jerk chicken & plantain skewers
500 g/171⁄2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 ripe plantains
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
For the marinade
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 Scotch bonnet, deseeded (or 2 red chillies/ chiles, seeds in)
5 spring onions/scallions, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 large garlic cloves
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soft light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
36 mini wooden skewers
Makes 36
Whizz all the marinade ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Cut each chicken thigh into 6, place in a bowl and cover with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Cut the plantains down the middle, lengthways, and then into 1-cm/1⁄2-in. pieces.
When ready to serve, cook the chicken pieces on a very hot griddle pan for a few minutes on each side until cooked in the middle. Transfer to a warm plate.
Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet. Sauté the plantain in two batches for 2 minutes on each side.
Skewer the chicken and plantain and serve.
jamaican-spiced prawn & mango skewers
170 g/6 oz. raw, shelled prawns/shrimp
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 mango
a handful of fresh coriander/cilantro
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
For the curry powder
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
a spice grinder or pestle and mortar
25 mini wooden skewers
Makes 25
NOTE this makes 4 times the curry powder you will need, so if you are making more than 25 skewers you will not need to multiply the curry powder.
To make the curry powder, put all the spices except the allspice and turmeric in a frying pan/skillet, and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until fragrant but not darkened.
Let cool and transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, and grind. Add the allspice and turmeric.
Sprinkle the prawns/shrimp with 1 heaped teaspoon of the curry powder and a little oil. Mix and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Slice the mango into 2.5-cm/1-in. squares, 6 mm/1⁄4 in. deep.
Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan/skillet, add the prawns/shrimp and sauté for a few minutes, until cooked through.
Place a coriander/cilantro leaf on top of each mango cube and sprinkle over a little lime juice. Top each with a prawn/shrimp and skewer.
pulled pork on cornbread muffins
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb. pork shoulder, bone in and skin on
liquid smoke
coriander/cilantro and red onion slices, to garnish
Cornbread muffins
150 g/1 cup fine cornmeal
130 g/1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
235 ml/1 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 x 24-hole mini muffin pans, greased
Makes 40
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Line a small roasting pan with enough foil overhanging to wrap around the meat. Place the sliced onions in the pan.
Rub the salt, sugar, paprika and cumin into the meat and sit it on top of the onions. Place in the oven, with the foil open, for 30 minutes.
Spray the meat with liquid smoke (no more than a teaspoon), and wrap the foil over the meat. Reduce the oven to 120°C (250°F) Gas 1⁄2 and cook for 4–5 hours, until the meat is falling apart.
Remove the meat from the oven and let sit for 30 minutes, then pull the meat off the bone with 2 forks. Leave it in the juices and onions and refrigerate until needed.
For the cornbread muffins, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Gas 5.
Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in one bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Using a teaspoon, drop a spoonful of the mixture into each hole of the muffin pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Let cool on a wire rack.
To serve, reheat the pork in the oven and slice the top off each muffin. Place a spoonful of pork on each muffin and garnish with coriander/ cilantro or red onion slices.
black bean quesadillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, finely diced
6 flour tortillas, approximately 20 cm/ 8 in. in diameter
220 g/8 oz. grated Cheddar cheese
1 fresh red chilli/chile, finely diced
a small handful of freshly chopped coriander/ cilantro, plus a few extra leaves to garnish
150 g/1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
Makes 36
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan/skillet. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until softened.
Spread out three tortillas and sprinkle with cheese, onion, beans, coriander/cilantro and chilli/chile.
Place the other three tortillas on top. Fry them, one by one, in a hot non-stick griddle pan or frying pan/skillet for a few minutes on each side, until the tortilla is crisp and the cheese has melted.
Cut each quesadilla into 12 wedges and serve with a sprinkle of coriander/cilantro leaves.
You can make the chilli con carne up to 3 days before you plan to serve these canapés.
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g/7 oz. good-quality minced/ground beef (not lean) or chuck steak, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300 ml/11⁄4 cups beef stock or water
200 g/7 oz. canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato purée/paste
1⁄4 teaspoon chipotle paste
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli flakes/hot pepper flakes (habanero if you can)
1⁄2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
40 g/1⁄4 cup cooked red kidney beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
30 store-bought ‘croustades’ or mini pastry cups
100 g/31⁄2 oz. shredded red cabbage or diced avocado
freshly squeezed lime juice, for squeezing
fresh coriander/cilantro, to garnish (optional)
Makes 30
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan/skillet and brown the meat over medium/high heat. Transfer the meat to a bowl and, in the same pan, fry the onions and the garlic in a little more oil for about 5 minutes, until softened.
Return the meat to the pan and add the stock, canned tomatoes, tomato purée/paste, chipotle paste and chilli flakes/hot pepper flakes, and cook for 40 minutes or so, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is tender.
Add the beans and cocoa, and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For best results, allow to cool then refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, add a teaspoonful of the chilli con carne to each croustade or pastry cup and garnish with a pinch of red cabbage or cube of avocado, a squeeze of lime and a little fresh coriander/cilantro, if you like.
chilli con carne cups (p109), black bean quesadillas (p108), pulled pork on cornbread muffins (p108).
The best food I’ve ever eaten at a party were the empanadas at the home of my Paraguayan friend Carmen. That’s all she served. There were two options: spinach and ricotta or chilli con carne. Along with a pile of paper napkins, some cold beers and a few bottles of Tabasco, everyone was set for a perfect evening. Sometimes less is more. This amount of pastry allows for 30 spinach and ricotta and 30 chilli con carne empanadas. Halve the recipe if you are only cooking one or the other. The pastry freezes very well.
250 g/2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
450 g/33⁄4 cups plain/ all-purpose flour
1 egg
60 ml/1⁄4 cup cold water
½ teaspoon salt
1 quantity filling (see below)
1 egg, beaten
7.5-cm/3-in. pastry/cookie cutter
Makes 60
Cut the butter into small cubes. Place all of the ingredients except the beaten egg into the food processor and blitz until a dough forms. Add a little more water if the dough doesn’t come together. Wrap the dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Roll out the dough to 3 mm/1⁄8 in. thick. Use the cutter to stamp out disks. Lay the disks out on a lightly floured surface and put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle.
Moisten the top half of the dough with a little water. Pull over the other half of dough, taking care to squeeze out any air. You can do this by pressing down on the edge of the dough with the tines of a fork or by folding and pinching the edges over.
Place on a baking sheet, brush with a little of the beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, or until golden.
spinach & ricotta filling
20 g/1 generous tablespoon unsalted butter
150 g/5 oz. fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
20 g/1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan
160 g/51⁄2 oz. ricotta (drained)
1⁄2 beaten egg
a pinch of salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Makes 30
Add the butter to a small saucepan, along with the spinach and a splash of water. Cover and leave to steam for a few minutes. When wilted, drain in a sieve/strainer and chop finely. Place in a large bowl.
In the same pan, add the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the spinach. When cool, add the cheeses and egg. Season with salt and nutmeg. Use in the recipe above.
chilli con carne filling
1 quantity Chilli con Carne (see page 109)
Makes 30
Use the filling in the recipe above.
