These bruschetta platters are ideal for some informal entertaining.
We did this in the garden on one of the fine days recently in the company of our two much-loved Bichon Frises – Roxy, who is four, and Lola who is still a puppy.
For a great bruschetta, first of all, you need to get good bread and then you can experiment with toppings.Warm grilled bread with toppings makes a great starter any time of the year.
There are a lot of good Irish goat cheeses available – St Tola in Ennistymon, Ardsallagh in Co Cork and Corleggy in Belturbet (not far away in Co Cavan), to name a few. I like the combination of these cheeses with onion marmalade. It is a nice sweet and sour combination.
Artichokes are nice when grilled, or you could use frozen peas for the puree if you don’t like artichokes. Asparagus is in season at the moment, and the accompanying black olive tapenade is also lovely with grilled lamb.
You can usually get fresh squid prepared from your fishmonger – just be careful not to overcook as it will become tough and rubbery. Harissa is a North African spice that I like and Tunisia is a big exporter of it. It works well with calamari and gives the dish a bit of a kick.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Ingredients: serves 4-6
12 thick slices of country bread, preferably sourdough
1 garlic clove, halved
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Method
1 Preheat the grill or a griddle pan and use it to toast the bread on both sides. Remove from the heat and immediately rub one side with a piece of garlic.
2 Drizzle over the olive oil and cut the slices of bread in half if they are very large.
3 Use immediately with a selection of the delicious toppings listed below. Arrange it on large serving platters or trays to serve.
Goat’s cheese and onion marmalade
1 Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and sauté three thinly sliced red onions until softened.
2 Stir in 225g of finely chopped ready-to-eat dried figs, two crushed garlic cloves, a glass of red wine and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
3 Simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, then stir in 1 tsp of caster sugar and a good pinch of chopped fresh thyme. Season to taste and leave to cool completely then spread onto the bruschetta and arrange 450g of thinly sliced goat’s cheese on top. Flash under the grill until the goat’s cheese has melted.
Artichoke and Parmesan
1 Place a 300g drained jar of artichoke hearts in a food processor with a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, 50g of freshly grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
2 Blitz to form a smooth paste and then with the motor running, slowly add 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil until well combined. Season and spread thickly over the bruschetta.
Neven's bruschetta platter. \ Claire Nash
Parma ham-wrapped asparagus with tapenade
1 To make a rough textured tapenade, mix 250g chopped pitted black olives in a bowl with the juice of a lemon, 3 tbsp of chopped capers, 6 chopped anchovy fillets, one crushed garlic clove and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Season to taste and add enough extra-virgin olive oil to form a slightly thick paste.
2 Spread 12 slices of Parma ham with some of the tapenade. Then use it to wrap 12 blanched asparagus spears.
3 Spread the rest of the tapenade over the bruschetta and top with the Parma ham-wrapped asparagus rolls.
Crispy fried squid with harissa and crème fraiche
Neven's crispy fried squid with harissa and crème fraiche. \ Claire Nash
Ingredients: serves 4
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying plus a little extra
450g cleaned medium-sized squid
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ground paprika
1 medium-hot red chilli, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
120ml crème fraiche
2 tsp harissa
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190°C (375°F). Cut the body pouch of each squid open along one side and score the inner side with the tip of a small, sharp knife into a fine diamond pattern. Then cut each pouch lengthway in half, then across into 5cm (2 in) pieces.
2 Put the cornflour, semolina, sesame seeds, paprika and a teaspoon of salt into a plastic freezer bag. Add the prepared squid and toss to coat. Tip out onto a tray, knocking off any excess and leave for 1-2 minutes so that the cornflour mixture becomes slightly damp. This will give a crispier finish to the squid.
3 When the oil is hot enough (when it sizzles up fiercely when you drop in a small cube of bread), fry the squid in batches for 1-2 minutes to get the most golden crunchiness.
4 Meanwhile, heat a little more oil in a wok or frying pan. Quickly sauté the chilli and spring onions for a couple of minutes until sizzling. Season to taste.
5 Mix together the crème fraiche and harissa in a small bowl and season to taste.
6 Drain the squid on some kitchen paper and then tip onto a platter. Sprinkle over the chilli mixture and place the harissa and crème fraiche dip alongside to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: heavenly hummus for snack time
Neven Maguire: a grilled dinner to suit any taste
These bruschetta platters are ideal for some informal entertaining.
We did this in the garden on one of the fine days recently in the company of our two much-loved Bichon Frises – Roxy, who is four, and Lola who is still a puppy.
For a great bruschetta, first of all, you need to get good bread and then you can experiment with toppings.Warm grilled bread with toppings makes a great starter any time of the year.
There are a lot of good Irish goat cheeses available – St Tola in Ennistymon, Ardsallagh in Co Cork and Corleggy in Belturbet (not far away in Co Cavan), to name a few. I like the combination of these cheeses with onion marmalade. It is a nice sweet and sour combination.
Artichokes are nice when grilled, or you could use frozen peas for the puree if you don’t like artichokes. Asparagus is in season at the moment, and the accompanying black olive tapenade is also lovely with grilled lamb.
You can usually get fresh squid prepared from your fishmonger – just be careful not to overcook as it will become tough and rubbery. Harissa is a North African spice that I like and Tunisia is a big exporter of it. It works well with calamari and gives the dish a bit of a kick.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Ingredients: serves 4-6
12 thick slices of country bread, preferably sourdough
1 garlic clove, halved
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Method
1 Preheat the grill or a griddle pan and use it to toast the bread on both sides. Remove from the heat and immediately rub one side with a piece of garlic.
2 Drizzle over the olive oil and cut the slices of bread in half if they are very large.
3 Use immediately with a selection of the delicious toppings listed below. Arrange it on large serving platters or trays to serve.
Goat’s cheese and onion marmalade
1 Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and sauté three thinly sliced red onions until softened.
2 Stir in 225g of finely chopped ready-to-eat dried figs, two crushed garlic cloves, a glass of red wine and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
3 Simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, then stir in 1 tsp of caster sugar and a good pinch of chopped fresh thyme. Season to taste and leave to cool completely then spread onto the bruschetta and arrange 450g of thinly sliced goat’s cheese on top. Flash under the grill until the goat’s cheese has melted.
Artichoke and Parmesan
1 Place a 300g drained jar of artichoke hearts in a food processor with a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, 50g of freshly grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
2 Blitz to form a smooth paste and then with the motor running, slowly add 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil until well combined. Season and spread thickly over the bruschetta.
Neven's bruschetta platter. \ Claire Nash
Parma ham-wrapped asparagus with tapenade
1 To make a rough textured tapenade, mix 250g chopped pitted black olives in a bowl with the juice of a lemon, 3 tbsp of chopped capers, 6 chopped anchovy fillets, one crushed garlic clove and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Season to taste and add enough extra-virgin olive oil to form a slightly thick paste.
2 Spread 12 slices of Parma ham with some of the tapenade. Then use it to wrap 12 blanched asparagus spears.
3 Spread the rest of the tapenade over the bruschetta and top with the Parma ham-wrapped asparagus rolls.
Crispy fried squid with harissa and crème fraiche
Neven's crispy fried squid with harissa and crème fraiche. \ Claire Nash
Ingredients: serves 4
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying plus a little extra
450g cleaned medium-sized squid
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ground paprika
1 medium-hot red chilli, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
120ml crème fraiche
2 tsp harissa
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190°C (375°F). Cut the body pouch of each squid open along one side and score the inner side with the tip of a small, sharp knife into a fine diamond pattern. Then cut each pouch lengthway in half, then across into 5cm (2 in) pieces.
2 Put the cornflour, semolina, sesame seeds, paprika and a teaspoon of salt into a plastic freezer bag. Add the prepared squid and toss to coat. Tip out onto a tray, knocking off any excess and leave for 1-2 minutes so that the cornflour mixture becomes slightly damp. This will give a crispier finish to the squid.
3 When the oil is hot enough (when it sizzles up fiercely when you drop in a small cube of bread), fry the squid in batches for 1-2 minutes to get the most golden crunchiness.
4 Meanwhile, heat a little more oil in a wok or frying pan. Quickly sauté the chilli and spring onions for a couple of minutes until sizzling. Season to taste.
5 Mix together the crème fraiche and harissa in a small bowl and season to taste.
6 Drain the squid on some kitchen paper and then tip onto a platter. Sprinkle over the chilli mixture and place the harissa and crème fraiche dip alongside to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: heavenly hummus for snack time
Neven Maguire: a grilled dinner to suit any taste
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: