Commitments and social gatherings begin to be held on terraces and gardens, encouraged by the arrival of good weather and late sunsets. The desire for fun and entertainment is inversely proportional to the desire to lock yourself in a kitchen and prepare food for these events, why fool ourselves. No matter how much culinary desire you have, sometimes you just want to enjoy yourself, put on some sunglasses, drink lemonade and have others light the barbecue.
But don’t panic: if you don’t have the energy to force attendees to bring something from home to share, I’m going to give you some ideas and combinations that will make the task of cooking very light, and even more so that of preparing and serving. , so that once everyone gets home, you can relax and fully enjoy. The key is to choose preparations that you can prepare one or two days in advance and that are kept properly cold. Gildas are in fashion and we will not be the last to jump on the bandwagon: they are prepared with preserves and processed products and served with a splash of extra virgin olive oil directly on the tray, they are a delicacy.
It is also the time for the charcuterie and cheese boards, which can wait perfectly cut and assembled in the refrigerator. But the star appetizer of this type of event is the spreads. They can be prepared in large quantities and operate on a self-service basis: you put some bread, some crudités, some delicious potatoes… and let the spread party begin. Is the bowl finished? You fill it again with the rest that you still have in the container.
This idea is halfway between spreads and a canapé, and its protagonist is endive. This vegetable is perfect for stuffing and serving as an appetizer in summer: it provides freshness, supports any filling very well, is easy to eat with your hands and has a touch kitsch-old man that we love in these parts. The different creams can be prepared in advance and mounted inside the endives a little before eating.
Spinach and cottage cheese
Ingredients
For 3-4 people as an aperitif
- 200 g of cottage cheese or fresh cheese
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 50 ml of cream
- 200 g spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 6 dehydrated tomatoes in olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Between 3 and 4 endives (depending on size)
Instructions
Slice the garlic and fry over medium heat in a large frying pan. When it starts to take color, lower the heat and add the spinach and a little salt. Stir and cover.
Cook for a few minutes until the pan runs out of water. Stir from time to time. Remove from the fire.
Blend the cottage cheese, cream and cream cheese with a blender. Chop the sundried tomatoes. Mix the cheese with the tomatoes and spinach once they are cold.
Season with salt and pepper and stuff the endive leaves.
Beet and yogurt
Ingredients
For 3-4 people as an aperitif
- 2 beets
- 8 sweet and sour pickles
- 1 potato
- 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- ½ tablespoon mustard
- fresh dill
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Between 3 and 4 endives (depending on size)
Instructions
Peel and cook the beets and potato in boiling water for 12 minutes.
Cut the beets and potatoes into cubes of less than one centimeter. Chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
Chop the gherkins and dill. In a bowl, mix the beet, potato, yogurt, pickles, dill, mustard, salt and pepper.
Stuff the endive leaves.
Marinated mackerel and potato
Ingredients
Serves 3-4 people as an aperitif
- 2 mackerel loins
- 1 potato
- fresh chives
- ¼ chive
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tablespoon mustard
- 6 tablespoons of salt
- 4 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Between 3 and 4 endives (depending on size)
Instructions
Clean the mackerel loins and remove the skin. Mix the sugar and salt and cover the loins. Store in the refrigerator for two hours.
Wash and cut the mackerel into small pieces.
Cook the potato and cut into small cubes.
Mix the yolk with the mustard, lemon juice, a little salt and 2 tablespoons of oil with a whisk. When it emulsifies, add the rest of the oil, stirring gently.
Mix the sauce with the mackerel, potato, spring onion, chives and black pepper. Store in the refrigerator.
Stuff the endives and finish with a little chives on top.
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#endive #fresh #fillings #summer