Home Chef. Neven Maguire
the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm (¾in) plain nozzle. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up a little.
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and set aside to use for glazing. Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 40 x 30cm (16 x 12in) rectangle and then cut into four strips, each measuring 30 x 10cm (12 x 4in). Pipe the sausage meat mixture in a fairly thick line down the centre of each pastry strip and brush along one long edge of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg. Roll up to enclose and press down the edges firmly to seal.
Brush the four large sausage rolls with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with the sesame seeds. Cut each roll into 2.5cm (1in) lengths, wiping the knife each time to clean off the sausage meat and arrange on two large baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Arrange on a warmed platter to serve.
Sesame Prawn Toasts
A Chinese takeaway favourite, these are shown in the picture on page 58. They are so easy to make – simply whiz the prawn mixture in a food processor before spreading on the bread. It is best to use bread that is a couple of days old, so that it has dried out slightly and is not too doughy. I like to serve these with a dipping sauce, but they are also great with just a squeeze of lime.
For the prawn toasts
225g (8oz) peeled raw prawns, cleaned
1 egg white
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
½ tsp freshly grated root ginger
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 slices of 1-2 day-old white bread (see recipe introduction)
4 tbsp sesame seeds
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
For the dipping sauce
6 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
To make the dipping sauce, place the soy sauce in a small bowl and stir in the honey, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce. Cover with cling film. This will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Place the prawns in a food processor or blender with the egg white, cornflour, lemon juice, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, ginger and mustard. Blend to form a smooth paste. This can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
Spread the prawn paste over the bread slices (avoiding the edges as the crusts will be trimmed off later) and sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over each slice, pressing them down gently with your fingertips. Arrange the slices of prawn-topped bread on a baking sheet or plastic tray, then cover with cling film and chill for up to 1 hour.
Preheat the vegetable oil to 180°C (350°F) in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep-sided saucepan. Deep-fry the toasts in batches for about minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and then cut off the crusts and cut each slice into four triangles. Cover loosely with foil, to keep warm, while the remaining toasts are being cooked.
Arrange the sesame prawn toasts on warmed plates or on one large serving platter with small bowls of the dipping sauce to serve.
Salt Cod Fritters
Salt cod is available from fishmongers, large supermarkets and some ethnic shops and needs to be soaked in cold water before use. Anhour or two should suffice if only lightly salted, or up to 24 hours if very dried out. If in doubt, check with your fishmonger or follow the packet instructions. The fritters are shown with the canapés on page 58, and are also delicious as part of a smoked fish platter.
450g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
150g (5oz) salt cod, soaked (see recipe introduction)
olive oil, for cooking
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
plain flour, for dusting
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Aïoli, to serve (see page 209)
Cook the potatoes, covered, in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash until smooth and set aside.
Poach the soaked salt cod in a small pan, with just enough water to cover, for about 10 minutes, then drain and roughly flake the flesh, removing all the skin and bones. Place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Stir the cooked onion and garlic, the flaked salt cod, parsley and egg into the mashed potatoes, mix to combine and season with black pepper. Taste the mixture at this stage to see if you need to season it with salt – you may not need any depending on how salty the fish is.
With floured hands, shape the mixture into twenty small balls. Flatten the balls slightly into 5cm (2in) round patties about 1cm (½in) thick. Arrange the patties on a large flat plate and cover with cling film. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the mixture to firm up a little.
Heat a thin film of olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fritters briefly on kitchen paper and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you cook the remainder.
Serve the fritters with a bowl of Aïoli on a large, warmed platter.
Spanakopita
These tasty morsels remind me of holidays on the Greek islands. Look out for authentic Greek filo pastry, a far superior product to the regular filo that you get in most supermarkets.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g (9oz) spinach, thick stalks removed and leaves finely shredded
75g (3oz) feta cheese
1 small egg
1 tsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp chopped mint
75g (3oz) unsalted butter
275g (10oz) filo pastry, thawed if frozen (about 6 sheets in total)
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan