insideKENT Magazine Issue 64 - July 2017 | Page 100

FOOD+DRINK
CROWD-PLEASING Hors
d’oeuvres cont.
Kidney Bean, Tomato & Pepper Quesadillas (4)
Ingredients:
• 2 x 400g tinned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15g fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to serve
• Zest and juice of 2 limes, plus wedges to serve
• 3tbsp Branston Tomato & Red Pepper Relish
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded, sliced (optional)
• 8 mini tortilla wraps
• 200g Pilgrims Choice cheddar cheese, sliced
• Ground black pepper
Method:
1) Preheat griddle or grill. Place the kidney beans in a large bowl and
crush lightly with the back of a fork. Add the coriander, lime zest and
juice, Branston Tomato & Red Pepper Relish, onion and chilli (if using),
and thoroughly combine. Season with black pepper.
2) Grill one mini wrap on the griddle or in a frying pan and turn over
after 1 minute. Set aside. Repeat with another wrap and then layer the
wrap with a quarter of the cheese and four dessertspoons of the mixture,
spreading it nearly to the sides of the wrap. Top with the previously
grilled wrap, then cook for 2 minutes, until heated through and the
cheese has melted.
3) Keep warm in a low oven, and then repeat with the remaining wraps
and ingredients. Serve with more coriander and lime wedges to squeeze.
Why not try something Spanish from chef, Omar Allibhoy’s new cookbook Spanish Made Simple? Omar is the owner of popular Bluewater
restaurant, Tapas Revolution.
Tosta De Higos Con Jamon (pan-fried figs, serrano ham, cream
cheese and walnuts on toast) (serves 4)
Banderillas - Skewered Pickles (as many as you like)
“Tapas are much easier to
make at home than people
think,” says Omar. “These days
you can find most Spanish
ingredients in your local
supermarket, so there is no
excuse. Figs are at their peak
in early autumn; make sure
you buy soft and sweet ones.”
Ingredients:
• 100g cream cheese
• 50g walnut halves
• 4 slices rustic bread, toasted
• 8 figs
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1tbsp brown sugar
• Splash of sherry vinegar, or
pinch of rock or sea salt
• 8 slices serrano ham
Method:
1) Mix the cream cheese with
three-quarters of the walnuts,
crumbling them between your
100
hands and beating them into
the cheese with a fork. Spread
generously over the bread.
2) Open your figs by cutting a
cross at the pointed end and
opening them out like a flower
with your fingers.
3) Drizzle some olive oil into a
pan over a medium heat and
add the brown sugar. Add the
figs and fry the bases only,
without turning them; you
only want to cook the bottom.
Watch that the caramel that
forms in the pan doesn’t burn.
Add a splash of sherry vinegar
and turn off the heat.
4) Place your hot figs over the
toasts and drizzle with the hot
vinaigrette from the pan. Top
with a good drizzle of extra
virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt
and a few thin slices of serrano
ham.
“Pickled banderillas – customised skewers with your favourite pickles
– are another ubiquitous tapa in bars around Spain,” says Omar. “We
love all pickles; in our supermarkets you will find a wide range of brined
vegetables from garlic to artichokes, and fish from mussels to anchovies.
The vinegar flavour tastes exciting in your mouth and these are the
perfect match for a beer or two as an aperitivo. In Spain you can find
banderillas readymade, but we prefer to make them ourselves and
choose the ingredients we fancy.”
Ingredients:
• White or salted anchovies
• Green Spanish queen olives
• Green chilli peppers in brine (preferably hot Spanish green)
• Pickled silver (pearl or baby) onions
• Gherkins
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Strong cocktail sticks (toothpicks)
Method:
1) Roll an anchovy around an olive and poke a skewer through the
middle, getting both sides