A Little Something Before Dinner
Celery parsley butter, Catalan tomato, avocado chickpea dip, pineapple tepache and crisp little bites for welcoming guests.
Welcome to Culinary Repertoire, where I write about food with all its history, pleasure, memory, and meaning. For a light and generous Apéro, this plate brings together crisp vegetables, herbal butter, avocado chickpea dip, Catalan tomato and pineapple tepache. It is a simple way to welcome guests with colour, crunch, acidity and freshness without overwhelming the meal to come.
When I offer something to guests as they arrive, I rarely begin with a fixed idea of what a canapé should be. My choice depends on the nature of the gathering, the drinks, the season, and what else I plan to serve.
If friends are coming for a quick catch up over drinks, I may offer something with a little more substance, such as tiny arancini balls with gochujang sauce, prawn croquettes, stuffed cup mushrooms, or Marcella’s marinated carrots. If the drinks are leading into a meal, I think more carefully about the appetite I want to preserve.
Before an Italian meal, I might serve Italian pickled eggplants with olives, or a Catalan tomato with crusty bread and Marcella’s poached prawns, Gamberetti all’Olio e Limone. Before an Indian or Sri Lankan meal, I might offer curry leaf dukkah, devilled nuts, or tiny coconut rotis with lunu miris and cucumber.
There is no single way I welcome people, apart from with warmth and generosity.
I also remember once opening a packet of fancy chips I had bought as a treat, when I realised at the last minute that I had prepared nothing to offer. My guests were delighted, as they loved chips. I must remember that next time I’m pressed for time, everyone loves a bag of fancy chips.
But when I do want to make something a little more special, these healthy little bites are the kind of thing I enjoy putting together. They are fresh, bright, colourful and light enough not to spoil the meal that follows. They use a few simple base preparations, then turn them into several little snacks: celery and parsley butter, avocado chickpea apple dip, Catalan tomato, radish, apple, watercress, rocket, capers and hazelnuts.
This is Apéro food that keeps the appetite awake. The butter gives richness, the avocado and chickpeas bring body and creaminess, and the Catalan tomato adds a zingy acidity. All balanced with the vegetal freshness from the garden. It’s peppery crunch keeps everything, crisp, and appetites alive and ready for dinner.
One thing I have learned is that cheese before dinner needs care. A beautiful cheese platter is a generous thing, but if a full meal is coming, I prefer to keep the cheese as part of the meal rather than let everyone lose their appetite on something rich and luxurious before they sit down. For drinks alone, however, cheese with fresh vegetables, pickles, fruit, nuts and something sharp is perfect, or just a single piece of an exceptional cheese is always elegant.
These little Apéro bites sit in that useful place between a snack, a canapé and a vegetable plate. They welcome people without overwhelming them. They offer crunch, softness, salt, acidity, and bright herbal notes. They sharpen the appetite rather than dull it, which is exactly what we are aiming for without even knowing it.
Aromatic Pineapple Tepache
To go with these little bites, I served an aromatic pineapple tepache, with notes of lemongrass and ginger bringing the tropical complexity I was looking for with this welcome drink. It worked beautifully with the peppery, buttery bites I served, and was brightened further with a splash of Campari. The bitterness of the Campari was superb with the pineapple and tropical aromatics, and it brought everything together nicely into a light bright opening of the palette, conversation and the rest of the evening.
