Party Appetizer Recipes

Of course, the basic thing that decides the menu is the weather. The second most important thing is the amount of help the hostess has with her party preparations. A cold spread for a cocktail party is easier to make beforehand and has a wider range of choice too. In a cocktail party, it is always better to serve a number of appetizer tit bits that can give a wide range of choice to the guests, than a few heavy dishes. Besides, appetizers go well with drinks and are easier on the stomach for a REALLY wacky party too.
Here are some easy Appetizer ideas and recipes.

The Menu for a cold and easy to make spread could run like:

An Aioli Platter

A traditional Provencal dish, the Aioli Platter is a well arranged display of lightly done or even uncooked vegetables, displayed to bring out the best of colors and flavors. The Aioli platter is generally accompanied by a slightly flavored garlic dip. A few uncooked vegetables accompanied by some cooked, mildly blanched or just steamed; bring out the best in the dish.

The list of vegetables and meats that can be used in an Aioli platter is virtually endless, but it is a good idea to keep oneself limited to the harder and more colorful vegetables, easier to blanch, easy to pick up and crunchy to bite into. You could, for instance, try:

Baby potatoes (steamed with jackets)
Green beans (trimmed and blanched)
Baby Carrots (peeled with green tops left on, blanched)
Green asparagus (trimmed)
Baby Sweet corn (steamed)
Baby artichokes (blanched and halved or quartered)
Cherry tomatoes (raw, washed well)
Medium Red Peppers, (deseeded and cut into strips)
Cooked medium prawns (peed with tails left on)

For the dip, a good idea that takes almost no time is the Garlic Dip. Pound 6 large garlic cloves and stir into 350 ml of bottled mayonnaise. Add two tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of freshly grounded black pepper for flavor. The dip is mildly flavored and goes well with all the vegetables that have been mentioned above, as also the prawn.

Quiches

The basic dough for a quiche can be made a few days in advance. You need:

Whole wheat flour – 150 grams
Plan flour – 150 grams
½ tsp salt
One Egg
Olive Oil – 4 tbsp

Dissolve a tablespoon of yeast in 4 tablespoon lukewarm water, and leave standing for 5 minutes. Combine 150 grams whole wheat flour and 150 grams of plain flour with salt to taste, and stir in the dissolved yeast. Beat one egg and 4 tablespoon olive oil into it, making the dough. Knead well, shaping into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise for 2 hours, till it softens. Punch it gently, and then let it rest for another 10 minutes. Roll out the dough into balls, cut into the shape of the quiche tin and bake for 5 minutes in a preheated oven at 190 deg C.

An interesting filling for the quiche is Herbs and cherry Tomatoes.

For 20 quiches, you need 8 beaten eggs, 350 ml milk, freshly ground pepper and salt to taste, 20 cherry tomatoes and a bunch of basil.

Beat the eggs and milk together with salt and pepper. Carefully place a tomato in the centre of each quiche and surround the quiche cup with the egg mixture. Sprinkle basil on the mixture, and bake for 20 minutes, till the fillings have set. The quiche is a pretty sight, with a majestic cherry tomato sitting in a sea of white speckled with green.

Meatballs (with that exotic Middle Eastern touch)

You need 175 grams fine grain bulgur wheat
One large chopped onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
500 grams minced lamb
1 tsp ground cinnamon and cumin mixture
2 tbsp water
For garnish, 750 grams courgette cut into thin slices and sautéed

Soak the wheat for about 15 minutes. Blend together onion and salt. Make a smooth paste of the mince. Add the onion mixture, cinnamon, cumin and pepper to taste in the meat, making into an even paste.

Drain and squeeze the water out of the wheat. Add to the meat mixture and blend again till smooth. Moisten hands and form meat mixture into small balls about 2 cms in diameter. Place on baking tray and grill for about 3 minutes. Then roll into a plateful of toasted sesame seeds. Serve on cocktail sticks, intertwined with a courgette strip.

Frittatas - flat Italian omelets, which can be made a day in advance and stored in a refrigerator, make a delectable appetizer for a cocktail party.

To make the Frittata: (to make 60 - 1½ inch diamond shapes).
Beat together 10 large eggs and 3 tbsp milk with salt and pepper.

For the Tender Peas and Pepper filling:
1 tbsp olive oil,
1 medium onion shopped
1 large red pepper cored, seeded and diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
375 grams fresh peas

Heat oil in a have pan, add onions and cook till soft. Add red pepper and little salt and stir. Cook until just tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Steam onions for about 7 minutes, then rinse under cold water (to keep them green). Stir into the mixture. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a 12 inch fry pan. Pour in the mixture and stir with a fork, lifting the edges of the frittata to let the egg mix run underneath, often. Reduce heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. It should just set, not burn out or overcook. Brown the top under a pre-heated grill for 2 minutes. Cool and serve or cool and keep for tomorrow’s party.