Neven Maguire - Home Chef

Arrange the sesame prawn toasts on warmed plates or on one large serving platter with small bowls of the dipping sauce to serve.

Salt cod is available from fishmongers, large supermarkets and some ethnic shops and needs to be soaked in cold water before use. Anhour or two should suffice if only lightly salted, or up to 24 hours if very dried out. If in doubt, check with your fishmonger or follow the packet instructions. The fritters are shown with the canapés on page 58, and are also delicious as part of a smoked fish platter.

450g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

150g (5oz) salt cod, soaked (see recipe introduction)

olive oil, for cooking

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

plain flour, for dusting

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Aïoli, to serve (see page 209)

Cook the potatoes, covered, in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash until smooth and set aside.

Poach the soaked salt cod in a small pan, with just enough water to cover, for about 10 minutes, then drain and roughly flake the flesh, removing all the skin and bones. Place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Stir the cooked onion and garlic, the flaked salt cod, parsley and egg into the mashed potatoes, mix to combine and season with black pepper. Taste the mixture at this stage to see if you need to season it with salt – you may not need any depending on how salty the fish is.

With floured hands, shape the mixture into twenty small balls. Flatten the balls slightly into 5cm (2in) round patties about 1cm (½in) thick. Arrange the patties on a large flat plate and cover with cling film. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the mixture to firm up a little.

Heat a thin film of olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fritters briefly on kitchen paper and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you cook the remainder.

Serve the fritters with a bowl of Aïoli on a large, warmed platter.

These tasty morsels remind me of holidays on the Greek islands. Look out for authentic Greek filo pastry, a far superior product to the regular filo that you get in most supermarkets.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

250g (9oz) spinach, thick stalks removed and leaves finely shredded

75g (3oz) feta cheese

1 small egg

1 tsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 tsp chopped mint

75g (3oz) unsalted butter

275g (10oz) filo pastry, thawed if frozen (about 6 sheets in total)

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, then cook gently for 2-3 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the spinach a handful at a time, stirring constantly, until it has all wilted down. Tip into a sieve and drain well, pressing out all the excess liquid with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool.

Crumble the feta cheese into a bowl and then mix in the egg, Parmesan, cooled spinach mixture, nutmeg and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter in a small pan and allow to cool a little.

Unroll the sheets of pastry and cut the stack lengthways into strips about 6cm (2½ in) wide. Brush the top layer with melted butter. Place a heaped teaspoonful of the filling in the centre of one strip, at the nearest end to you, and fold one bottom corner of the top layer of pastry diagonally over the filling, so that the corner touches the opposite side to make a triangle. Then fold over the filled triangular corner, and continue folding it along the whole strip into a triangular parcel. Repeat to use all the pastry and filling – you should end up with 24 parcels in total.

Brush the underside of each spanakopita with a little of the melted butter and place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush the tops with the rest of the melted butter and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before arranging on plates or a large platter to serve.

2 tbsp dry sherry

2 tsp cornflour

2 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp light muscovado sugar

175ml (6fl oz) chicken stock (see page 219)

2 tbsp sunflower oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

6 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced, green separated from white

450g (1 lb) minced chicken

225g tin of water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

3 tbsp chopped coriander

4 little gem lettuces, broken into individual leaves (see recipe introduction)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sang Choy Bow are bite-sized pieces of food wrapped in lettuce before eating. Variations can be found in most Chinese restaurants. The secret to making them is to prepare all of the ingredients well in advance. I normally use the smaller inner crisp leaves of little gem lettuce but you could use iceberg lettuce or chicory leaves. Break the leaves into similar sizes, place in a plastic bag and keep in the fridge until you need them.

Place the sherry in a small bowl and stir in the cornflour to form a smooth paste. Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar and chicken stock until well combined. This sauce can be made in advance and chilled for up to 24 hours until needed.

Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Stir-fry the garlic and the whites of the spring onions for 2-3 minutes until softened and just turning golden. Increase the heat to high, add the minced chicken and fry for about 5 minutes until just cooked through and beginning to brown, breaking up the chicken using the back of a spoon to ensure there are no big lumps. Add the water chestnuts and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Push the mixture to one side and then pour the prepared sauce into the wok, stirring until it boils and thickens. This will take 1-2 minutes. When the liquid is bubbling and thickened stir in the chicken mixture and mix well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the green of the spring onions along with the coriander.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Spoon a small amount of the warm chicken mixture on to each lettuce leaf. Wrap up and eat with your hands.

This canapé is not as unusual as it sounds! Black pudding is often served as a tapas dish in Spain, where it is known as morcilla, and is usually homemade from a family recipe that has been passed down over many generations. Don’t be tempted to make these too far in advance or the croûtes will go soggy.

1 French stick, cut on the diagonal into 30 evenly sized slices (ends discarded)

4 tbsp olive oil

450g (1 lb) black pudding, cut on the diagonal into 30 evenly sized slices

100g (4oz) Red Onion Marmalade (see page 209)