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VL
Posted by

Victoria Lagodinsky

December 31, 2014

PartyFood

Take the stress out of planning your New Year’s Eve party with these easy yet impressive tapas dishes from The Big Book of World Tapas by Julia Hartley.

Chicken Tikka Skewers
Makes: 24
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus 1–12 hours marinating
Cooking Time 15 minutes
Equipment: 24 x 10cm/4in skewers

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 140g/5oz each, cut into 48 x 4cm/11/2 in cubes
Mint & Yogurt Dip, to serve
2 lemons, cut into wedges, to serve

Marinade
2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
41/2 tsp tomato purée
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
juice of 1/2 lemon
250ml/9fl oz/1 cup natural yogurt
1 tbsp sunflower oil

  1. Put all the marinade ingredients together in a food processor and process for 1 minute until well combined. Transfer to a bowl, add the chicken and stir to coat. Leave to marinate, covered, in the fridge, for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
  2. If using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Preheat the grill to high. Put 2 cubes of the chicken on each skewer and put them on a grill rack above a grill pan. Grill the skewers for 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until brown and cooked through. Serve with the dip and lemon wedges.

 

PartyParmaHamArtichoke Hearts, Parma Ham & Sun-Dried Tomato Parcels
Makes: 24
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

12 bottled artichoke hearts, drained and halved
12 slices of Parma ham, halved lengthways
6 sun-dried tomatoes, quartered

  1. Put 1 artichoke heart half on each piece of Parma ham. Top with 1 piece of sun-dried tomato and roll tightly.
  2. Secure with cocktail sticks and serve.

 

 

 

PartyMeringuesRaspberry Meringues
Makes: 36
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 egg whites
85g/3oz/heaped 1/3 cup caster sugar
85g/3oz/2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
175g/6oz/3/4 cup crème fraîche
36 raspberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 130°C/250°F/Gas 1. Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and beat, using a whisk or hand-held electric mixer with a whisk attachment, for 2–3 minutes until soft peaks form. Slowly add the caster sugar and beat for a further 3–5 minutes until shiny and stiff. Gently but thoroughly fold in one third of the icing sugar, using a metal spoon, then fold in the remaining icing sugar.
  2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and spoon the meringue mixture into 36 x 3cm/1 1/4 in circles, spacing them 2cm/ 3/4 in apart. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn the oven down to 70°C/150°F/Gas 1/4 and bake for a further 30 minutes until hard. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
  3. When ready to serve, top each meringue with 1 tsp of the crème fraîche and 1 raspberry. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Preparing Ahead: The meringues can be made up to 1 month in advance and stored in an airtight container.

For more tapas ideas to make your party truly spectacular, see The Big Book of World Tapas by Julia Hartley.