Sharing Food with Friends E-Book

Kathy Kordalis

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

This is food you can whip up at the end of a working day or during a busy weekend. Kathy Kordalis offers inspired ideas for creating dishes to share at home, whether you are serving brunch, lunch, dinner, nibbles with drinks or a family feast. Within each sharing menu there are lists of things to buy in, dishes that require simple preparation, plus recipes to cook from scratch. In Autumn, reflect the bounty of the harvest with dishes that include seasonal treats like squash, chard, beets and purple artichokes. Winter is a time for comfort food at its finest. It's dark, it's cold, it's probably raining. The only antidote is a cosy home and a dining table groaning with delicious things to eat. Serve comforting spiced tomato soup with cheese scones, a good old-fashioned beef stroganoff and chilli chocolate mousse. Come Spring it's time to lighten up. Young vegetables with tangy dips, small bowls of pea and mint risotto, artichokes with the perfect vinaigrette and herb-garnished gin and tonics. Let it shine in Summer. Head outdoors and have fun with the barbecue, cooking seafood and setting up dazzling dessert stations for al fresco fun. Finally, embrace the art of feasting, whether cooking a special dinner for Valentine's Day or celebrating a big event. Serve a stunning centrepiece rib of beef or a classic whole salmon served with sumptuous sides. Ultimately, it's all about spending quality time at home and enjoying yourself.

Leseprobe

SHARING FOOD

with friends

SHARING FOOD

with friends

CASUAL DINING IDEAS AND INSPIRING RECIPES FOR PLATTERS, BOARDS AND SMALL BITES

KATHY KORDALIS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOWIE KAY

Senior designer Megan Smith

Editors Miriam Catley and Gillian Haslam

Production David Hearn

Art director Leslie Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

Food stylist Kathy Kordalis

Food stylist assistant Sarah Fassnidge

Prop stylist Jennifer Kay

Indexer Vanessa Bird

First published in 2017 and reissued in 2021 by Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields, London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St, New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text copyright © Kathy Kordalis 2017, 2021

Design and photographs copyright © Ryland Peters & Small 2017, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-78879-382-7

Printed in China

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

• Both British (Metric) and American (Imperial plus US cups) measurements are included here for your convenience, however it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between them within a recipe.

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• All eggs are medium (UK) or large (US), unless specified as large, in which case US extra-large should be used. Uncooked or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

• Whenever butter is used in these recipes, unsalted butter should be used.

• When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

• When a recipe calls for full-fat cream cheese, it should be white, creamy smooth and have at least 24 per cent fat content, such as Kraft Philadelphia.

• To sterilize preserving jars, wash them in hot, soapy water and rinse in boiling water. Place in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. With the saucepan lid on, bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the hot water until just before they are filled. Invert the jars onto a clean kitchen cloth to dry. Sterilize lids for 5 minutes by boiling or according to manufacturer’s instructions. Jars should be filled and sealed while they are still hot.

• Cheeses started with animal rennet are not suitable for strict vegetarians so read food labelling carefully and, if necessary, check that the cheese you buy is made with a non-animal (microbial) starter. Traditional Parmesan is not vegetarian so we recommend a vegetarian hard cheese (such as Gran Moravia which has the same texture so is ideal for grating) or Parma (a vegan product). There is an increasing number of manufacturers now producing vegetarian versions of traditionally non-vegetarian cheeses, such as Gruyere or Gorgonzola. Check online for suppliers and stockists.

• There are certain health risks associated with whipped cream so always practice food safety by using fresh cream before its expiry date and covering and storing prepared desserts in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Contents

PARTY PLANNING BASICS

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

Naughty but nice breakfast

Brunch bonanza

Quick brunch for a bunch

LUNCH

Relaxed roast

Vegetable fiesta

Simple sharing

DINNER

Craft beer & cheese night

Fish fest

Pizza party

FEAST

Celebration lunch

Banquet parisien

Springtime

Index

Acknowledgements

Party planning basics

As far back as I can remember, growing up in Australia my family, however busy they were, always made time to get together. Sometimes, it was casual and sometimes it was more formal. As a Greek Australian, the cultures of Greek feasting and Australian laidback lifestyle have really influenced the way I live, eat and celebrate. Let’s face it, Greeks like a party. Marrying into a British family and living in London for the past 13 years have further inspired the ingredients I cook with. London is a place where over 200 cultures meet and live together and they bring with them a cornucopia of recipes, ingredients and customs.

This book is a collection of menus and recipes that, to me, really celebrate fuss-free entertaining. The main purpose of getting together is to spend time together – it’s pointless if your guests do not see you. So with a few tips and a general running order, you will be able to entertain effortlessly at home. Some of the menus do require extra preparation and planning but the outcome will be worth it. There are tips on what to buy in and what to make from scratch, how to make the table pretty and how to maximize flavour.

Getting started

Whether planing a party for a large crowd or having a few friends around, there are a few handy tips you can follow. Most recipes have been written for 4–6 people, but can easily be upped for a larger crowd.

Know your crowd. Who are you inviting and what style of food do they like, are there any dietary requirements or vegetarians? Any menu should include a lot of vegetable options, then you have your bases covered.

Date. Get the date in the diary. This is not always easy! Living in London where everyone has such busy lives, I find that this is the hardest part of planning a gathering.

Plan the menu and what you will be drinking. This is my favourite part. Either follow each table menu fully, mix and match from all the tables or add your own touch. All is perfectly acceptable. It is about sharing time and food with your loved ones and bringing people together.

Make a shopping list, which should include simple decorations and/or flowers, all the platters and serving pieces and need not break the bank.

Plan a cooking schedule. Work out what can be made ahead and frozen, cooked the day before or on the day, and what you can buy already prepared.

Make list of equipment needed and potential entertainment. That need not mean hiring a performer, but pre-selecting music or games that all can share.

Get help with cleaning after the party, delegate to loved ones; another sharing moment!

Feeding a large crowd

No need to get in a flap as you have planned and prepared for this. All the tables in this book have dishes that can be prepared in advance, can sit at room temperature and only a few of the recipe options are served warm. They are all about relaxed entertaining.

Keep it classic with a few twists. Choose a selection of dishes that can be made in advance, with easy fresh additions on the day.

YOUR FREEZER & PANTRY

This list is a good basic list of what you can store in your freezer, fridge and pantry/larder.

FREEZER

• Soups

• Pre-made casseroles

• Hummus

• Pizza dough, after its first rise

• Ice – ALWAYS

• Frozen berries

• Smoothie mixes including bananas

• Frozen shrimp

• Good-quality stock

• Flavoured butters

• Broad/fava beans

• Peas

LARDER/PANTRY

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Flavourless oils for baking and frying

• Flavoured oils for dressings, such as walnut, sesame, chilli/chile

• Vinegars: balsamic, red-wine, apple cider, sherry

• Spices

• Dried chilli/hot red pepper flakes

• Sea salt, peppercorns

• Soy sauce

• Miso

• Dijon mustard

• Wholegrain mustard

• Capers

• Worcestershire sauce

• Sriracha

• Honey

• Canned beans

• Grains

• Rice

• Passata/tomato paste/sundried tomato paste

• Kalamata olives, green olives

• Artichokes

• All sorts of nuts

• Chocolate

• Green tea

• Wine

FRIDGE

• Citrus: oranges, lemons, grapefruit, limes

• Onions

• Leafy greens

• Garlic

• Spring onions/scallions

• Tomatoes

• Fresh herbs

• Parmesan cheese and/or vegetarian option

• Feta cheese

• Greek yogurt

• Eggs

It is okay to cheat a little. Buy things in to make it easy for you. A combination of made from scratch and bought items is a nice balance.

Update the ‘buffet’. With this style of entertaining most of the work is done in advance, which allows you to spend time with your guests. The benefit for guests is they can choose what they would like to eat and in what combination.

Stagger oven-cooked items as overcrowding your oven changes cooking times.

When serving food at room temperature remember to keep it safe as food should be kept like this for a maximum of 2 hours. That leaves ample time for all to eat merrily and then move on to the desserts.

Making ahead

Follow these very simple tips for getting ahead.

Make extra. When making some dishes, make extra so that you can serve some for dinner and store the rest. While there is sometimes a bit of extra work in doubling or tripling a recipe, it’s rarely double or triple the effort.

Keep it separate. It’s best to leave all components stored separately. Slow-cooked items can then be reheated gently and if serving with vegetables, they stay fresh and crisp. Having stackable plastic or glass containers helps with storage and when strapped for space freezer bags save space.

Enliven with fresh ingredients. Whether it is fresh herbs, a crisp salad, toasted nuts, shaved cheese or bright vegetables – a pre-made dish can be enlivened. Not only is it aesthetically appealing but it’s great for texture and nutritional value.

THE ELEMENTS OF A PERFECT PARTY

1. Setting the table and tips on how to keep everything fresh.

• Just to make life easier for you, set the table before your guests arrive, whether it’s for a help-yourself buffet or a more formal setting. That includes glasses, napkins, salt and pepper and servingware.

• Food should be kept at ambient temperature for a maximum of 2 hours.

• For fresh ingredients such as salads, crudités and fruit, it is best to prep beforehand and store separately wrapped in clingfilm/plastic wrap and stored in airtight containers in the fridge. To maximize freshness, replenish in batches – there’s no need to bring all the food out at once.

• The same goes for breads and dips – put out half and then top up. Nothing is worse than dried-out bread or crusty dips. Also, it’s good to keep back some food just in case some of your guests are running late.

2. Creating a balance of raw, cooked and warmed food.

• The key to all these menus is the balance between raw, cooked ambient and warmed food. It is this balance that will create an interesting meal and keep you relaxed.

• Whether it’s a starter, main or dessert, in most cases I like to introduce all these elements. It is also a relatively healthy way to eat. Vegetables are my biggest inspiration and to me they are the main event, with protein being on the side. Don’t get me wrong – I love all protein, but eating, cooking and serving vegetables feels really nourishing.

• When setting one of these tables it is the vegetables that are generally the raw, cooked and warmed elements – of course there are warm meat and fish dishes, but the veggies do a lot of work. They are hard workers so celebrate them.

• If served raw, keep them crisp and fresh and, unless pre-washed, wash and thoroughly dry them.

• For the ambient cooked, again, serve in batches – in fact it’s more economical this way. If it’s not all eaten then you can reserve for supper or for work lunches.

• For warmed food – again, with these recipes I have tried to come up with dishes that are delicious warm but can also be eaten at room temperature. It is with these dishes that I like to serve fresh, crisp raw sides.

3. Decorating tips and making your tables and platters fun.

• The best decoration is getting the best quality ingredients you can get. Use them in an eye-catching salad, serve them as crudités or have a bowl of gorgeous vegetables or fruit – nothing is more beautiful. Decorations need not be extravagant, a hint of glam and elegance is great but not if it breaks the bank.

• To keep the gathering and the table relaxed, don’t be tempted to overwhelm your guests with too many decorations. A pretty vase of flowers, a bowl of beautiful lemons, pots of fresh herbs or a few lovely succulents add an understated yet decorative touch. Let the food celebrate itself. A table that has mixed fruit with vegetables, pitchers of drinks, breads, nibbles, flowers, ambient food on platters and warmed food on boards and the company of your friends and family is a perfect gathering itself.

What’s not to like about breakfast and brunch? Start your day with a celebration – get up late, laze and gently move into that late breakfast/early lunch. Mid-morning tipples, easy feed-a-crowd dishes, things to make ahead and show-stoppers are all to be found here.

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

Naughty but nice breakfast

The best way to live your life is with a balance of naughty and nice. Where possible use the most unprocessed ingredients and methods when cooking, but just a touch of naughty won’t kill you either. All these recipes are nourishing or your body and soul but do not skimp on flavour – we need to have fun, right?

Menu

Green piña colada smoothie

Pomegranate & mint green tea

Glow balls

Grainy porridge

Sourdough toast toppings –

Sweet Whipped honey vanilla butter;

Tahini maple spread;

Crushed berries & goat’s curd

Savoury Avocado & salmon;

Broad bean, courgette & goat’s curd

Prosciutto eggs

Cauliflower, butternut & kale hash

Rhubarb mini cakes

PARTY PLANNING

‘Fresh is best’ for most of the recipes in this menu, with a few exceptions.

The day before:

• Make the Glow balls and refrigerate.

• Whip the Honey vanilla butter. Make the Tahini maple spread and Crushed berries and refrigerate.

• Make the Rhubarb mini cakes and store in an airtight container.

• Weigh out the Grainy porridge except for the liquid ingredients and place in a saucepan.

On the morning of the breakfast:

• Make the Cauliflower, butternut & kale hash and the Broad bean, courgette & goat’s curd mixture.

• Place the Green piña colada smoothie ingredients in the blender (but don’t blend).

• Get the teapot ready but don’t pour in the hot water.

• Cook the Grainy porridge and set aside to reheat when your guests arrive

One hour before:

• Set up the food and drinks buffet-style, grouping the savoury and sweet dishes together.

• Make the Sourdough toasts and place on a wooden board or platter. Place all the extras on the buffet table.

• Make the Prosciutto eggs.

When your guests arrive:

• Blitz the Green piña colada smoothie, add the Malibu if your guests are in that type of mood and make the tea.

• Heat the porridge and place on the table. Gently heat the Cauliflower, butternut & kale hash and place with the Prosciutto eggs.

• Don’t forget the Rhubarb mini cakes!

Glow balls

Brazil nuts are an excellent source of complex B vitamins. With the addition of the power spice turmeric, cocoa nibs and bee pollen, these balls will have you glowing inside and out. Make a batch and freeze them. They are a perfect snack or a fun porridge topper.

200 g/1½ cups Brazil nuts

100 g/¾ cup dates, pitted

100 g/¾ cup dried figs

1 tablespoon desiccated/dried unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cardamom pods, ground

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon cocoa nibs

½ tablespoon bee pollen

MAKES 40 (TEASPOON SIZE)

In a food processor place the Brazil nuts, dates, figs, desiccated/dried unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut oil, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom and flax seeds and blitz into a textured paste. Transfer into a bowl and mix in the cocoa nibs and bee pollen. Form into 40 balls. Store in the fridge until needed.

Grainy porridge

This is an earthier version of traditional porridge, made using ancient grains.

50 g/¼ cup quinoa

100 g/½ cup amaranth

100 g/½ cup millet

a pinch of salt

450 ml/scant 2 cups almond, coconut or oat milk of your choice, plus extra to serve

TO SERVE

almond, coconut or oat milk

bee pollen

pumpkin seeds

goji berries

nuts

honey

Glow balls (see left) Whipped honey vanilla butter (see page 18)

MAKES 6 SMALL BOWLS OR 3 LARGE BOWLS

Bring the quinoa, amaranth, millet, salt, non-dairy milk and 450 ml/scant 2 cups water to the boil in a medium pan. Reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cereal is the consistency of porridge (softer and thicker than the usual bowl of oatmeal) and water is absorbed, approx. 40–50 minutes. If you want a looser, creamier texture, add more milk at this stage. Serve with your choice of the toppings, above.

Make it pretty

Keep it natural, fresh and light. Use wooden boards to serve all the food and pots of fresh herbs and ferns to decorate.

Green piña colada smoothie

Tropical goodness in a glass – or add a shot of Malibu to make it really naughty!

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 banana

juice of 1 lime

100 ml/scant ½ cup coconut milk

a large handful of spinach

ice cubes

SERVES 6

Blitz all the ingredients together in a blender for a smooth consistency. Add Malibu for a dirty one. Pour into six tall glasses and serve.

Pomegranate & mint green tea

Green tea and ruby jewels to replenish and refresh you.

3 green teabags

2 large sprigs of mint

50 ml/3½ tablespoons pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds (optional), plus a few extra to serve in each glass

6-cup teapot

SERVES 6

Place the teabags and mint in the teapot. Boil enough water to fill the teapot, let it wait for 3 minutes, then pour into the teapot and allow to infuse for up to 3 minutes. Remove the teabags from the teapot, add the pomegranate juice and seeds (if using) and serve.

Sourdough toast toppings

A brown rye sourdough works well with both sweet or savoury or – my favourite – somewhere in between. Buy a good sourdough from your local bakery and serve with the following toppings.

Whipped honey vanilla butter

150 g/1¼ sticks salted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

2 tablespoons runny honey

bee pollen, to sprinkle

Place the softened butter, vanilla paste and honey in a bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, whisk the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Serve sprinkled with bee pollen.

Crushed berries & goat’s curd

500 g/3 cups frozen berries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

100 g/¾ cup goat’s curd, to serve

Place the berries, sugar and vanilla paste in a saucepan and heat gently, crushing the berries with a fork. Do not overcook as you want to retain some texture. Serve with the goat’s curd.

Tahini maple spread

100 g/½ cup tahini

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1–2 tablespoons warm water

sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Place the tahini and maple syrup in a bowl and mix well. Add the warm water to loosen the spread. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Avocado & salmon

2–3 avocados, peeled, stoned/pitted and sliced

200 g/1 cup smoked salmon

a handful of large capers

lemon, sliced, to serve

Assemble the ingredients on a large platter and allow your guests to top their own toast with the avocados, salmon, capers and a slice of lemon.

Broad bean, courgette & goat’s curd

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 courgette/zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons

2 spring onions/scallions, sliced

150 g/1¼ cups frozen broad/fava beans, defrosted and skins removed

a handful of parsley, finely chopped

a handful of chives, finely chopped

juice of ½ lemon

grated zest of 1 lemon

100 g/¾ cup goat’s curd, to serve

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper