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How to impress Friends and Family this Festive Season!

In these recessionary times, we keep hearing that “staying in is the new going out”. And for me, now that I have two small children which require babysitting, a night with friends around the kitchen table with a few bottles of wine and decent food is a treat in itself.

But there’s that age old question – what to bring?! Of course, sure, you grab a bottle of wine from the wine rack / local supermarket, but sometimes it’s nice to add a slightly more personal touch too… And didn’t you bring flowers the last time? Why not impress everyone by making some dip and bringing it along with a large share bag of everyone’s new favorite crisp (Veronica’s Snacks of course)?!

Seriously, dips are really easy to make, so even a non-foodie can manage it, and it seems such a thoughtful thing to do and my goodness, wouldn’t your mother-in-law be impressed?!

So here’s a couple of quick recipes for you – keep some of the prettier jars you use (larger mustard pots and jam jars are often nice shapes and a good size) and stick them through the dishwasher and they are perfect to be re-used. The hummus is a great recipe, really tasty, and there are lots of variations you can try – add some roasted red pepper, or some more cumin to spice it up, or make a spicy one by adding a tablespoon of hot paprika to the mix

Hummus

This recipe came to me from Veronica (always good to curry favour with the boss!) via Ballymaloe / Darina Allen

• 110 – 175g (4-6oz) chickpeas, cooked or tinned (I used one tin)
• Juice of 2-3 lemons (or, to taste) freshly squeezed
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150ml (5 fl oz) tahini paste (widely available from health food shops and larger supermarkets)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Garnish

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• Cumin (optional)
• A few cooked chickpeas

1. Drain the chickpeas, and keep a few whole ones aside for garnish.
2. Whizz up the remainder in an electric mixer / blender / food processor with a little of the cooking liquid, to make a smooth paste.
3. Add the lemon, garlic, tahini paste, olive oil and salt, to taste, then blend to a soft creamy texture Taste and continue to add lemon juice and salt til you are happy with the flavour.
4. Pour into a serving dish, mix the paprika with the olive oil and drizzle over the surface in a cross, then do the same with the parsley. Cumin is also a delicious addition, use 1 – 1½ tsp. Sprinkle with a few cooked chickpeas, and serve with a large bag of Veronica’s Snacks

 

Guacamole

This is mostly my own makey-uppy recipe – I got some tips from the Mexican lady who was head chef in the Mexican restaurant I worked in for a year after college, in Cologne, Germany. To ensure you have good ripe avocados, buy them a few days in advance and leave them in your fruit bowl (not the fridge, it’s too cold), preferably near a bunch of ripe bananas which will help to ripen them up.

• 2 ripe avocadoes
• About half a punnet of ripe cherry tomatoes
• Half an onion, finely diced
• A bunch of fresh coriander
• The juice of one lime
• Chilli powder (optional)

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the large stone and then scoop out the soft flesh into a reasonable sized bowl.
2. Chop the tomatoes into quarters (or smaller) and season with salt and pepper, then finely chop about half the coriander (depending on your own taste – I am not the world’s biggest coriander fan, but it is a deal-breaker in guacamole, I won’t make it if I don’t have fresh coriander to hand)
3. Dice the onion and add to the mashed avocado, mixing well Pour in the lime juice, and check the seasoning – add some chilli powder here if you like, although personally, I prefer my guacamole un-spiced. And Voila it’s ready to be devoured with some yummy Veronica’s Snacks Crisps. Guilt Free and Delicious.