These canapés were served as a starter to a main course of herb-butter-stuffed lamb shanks and a dessert of honey roasted figs. My boyfriend and I decided we would each come up with a little appetizer to the main meal, which would serve as our starter”¦see which ones you prefer!
Prosciutto, Pear and Parmesan rolls
Ingredients:
½ a crunchy green pear, cored
Juice of a fresh lemon
Handful of rocket leaves
About 6 slices prosciutto or smoked ham (whichever you can get hold of)
Fresh Parmesan or Grana Padano, shaved
Cut the pear into four long pieces and then cut each piece in half, horizontally. Squeeze some lemon juice over the pieces of pear and season with salt and pepper. Lay your slices of prosciutto on a plate or chopping board. Place a little rocket at the one end of each slice of prosciutto, on top of the rocket start layering up with pear, then a piece of parmesan, then pear and more parmesan if you like. Roll tightly and cut into bite size pieces.
Makes about 12 (depending on how wide your slices of prosciutto are).
Roasted Red Pepper Rolls, stuffed with Garlicky Aubergine
Ingredients:
2 large red peppers
1 small aubergine, halved
2 heads of garlic
Handful chopped parsley
Brush the aubergine with olive oil. Cut the tops off of each head of garlic, drench in olive oil and wrap in tinfoil – creating little parcels. Place the aubergine, cut-side down, and the garlic parcels on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the aubergine is soft – about 25-30 minutes.
Once done, scoop out the flesh of the aubergine and place in a bowl with the roast garlic. Mash with a fork until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside.
Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven. Roast under the grill, keeping the door of your oven slightly ajar at all times. Roast all sides of each pepper until blacken all over – you will need to keep a watchful eye on the peppers, turning them over when required (use kitchen tongs for this). Once the skins of the peppers are soft and blackened all over, remove the peppers from the oven and place them together in a plastic bag and close tightly. Let them sit for about 20 minutes (this will help the skins to peel off easily). After about 20 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag, peel off the skin and slice the peppers into strips about 2 ½ centimeters wide.
Lay the slices of pepper on a chopping board. Place a teaspoon or so of the roasted aubergine and garlic mix on one end of each slice of pepper. Roll up and enjoy along with the Prosciutto, pear and parmesan rolls!
Makes about 10 bite-sice pieces.
