Amaretto Sour, a spicy citrus canapé and a vegan chestnut swirl
When you just need a little something that is refreshing to get your mojo back for New Year
One of chef Andy’s delicious and colourful classics
Sweet and Spicy Clementines
3 ripe clementines or mandarins
1 tbs. peanut oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbs. minced onion
1 tsp minced fresh red chilli
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tbs. minced pork
2 tbs. minced chicken
1 tbs. palm sugar
1½ tbs. fish sauce
1 tsp. peanut butter
Approx. 30 fresh coriander leaves
1 or 2 red chillies (deseeded and cut into thin slithers)
Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add onion, garlic and chilli. Fry over a medium heat until the mixture begins to brown; add the ground coriander and cook for 1 minute more.
Add pork and chicken. Fry whilst stirring to break up the meat. Cook until the meat has browned. Add palm sugar, fish sauce and peanut butter. Continue to cook whilst stirring until the mixture is thick and sticky.
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
Break the clementines into segments. With a pair of scissors snip off the central part of the segment and remove any seeds. With the scissor blade carefully make a small hollow in the middle of the Clementine segment. Roll a small ball of the sticky mixture and insert into the Clementine segment.
Garnish with a coriander leaf and a slither of chilli. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
This one is our household staples when a guest suddenly annouces; ‘oh by the way I’m vegan.’
Chestnut swirls
200g cooked sweet chestnuts (vac-pack is easy)
1 small garlic clove
1tbsp. maple syrup/agave syrup
1/4sp. seasalt
pinch of ground nutmeg
1tbsp. fresh coriander (or parsley if you don’t like coriander)
1tbsp water
2tbsp. plum & chilli jelly/mango chutney
Pack of ready rolled 425g/500g puff pastry (made with palm oil marg if vegan)
Blend the chestnuts, spices, herbs, garlic and water in a blend to form a paste. Cut the pastry in half lengthways. Spread with the jelly/relish leaving a narrow band free at the top of both strips. Top with chestnut purée and then roll up, dampening the filling-free edge with water, so you have a very long sausage roll. Cut into 1cm rounds and place on a lined baking tray. Bake at 200 deg C for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
Serve with a small bowl of sweet chilli sauce for spooning on top.
We swear by cocktails with copious amounts of lemon juice in to keep the colds and hangovers at bay.
Amaretto Sour
60ml Amaretto
7.5ml Campari
22.5ml lemon juice
15ml orange juice
2.5ml sugar syrup
15ml egg white
angostura bitter (optional)
Shake everyhting in a ccoktail shaker without ice to emulsify, then add ice and shake again. Pour into a chilled glass along with ice. Garnish with a couple of drops of angostura bitters if liked.
This is adapted from a recipe from Difford’s – the ultimate cocktail bible