Popular food for parties

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32639, 22 June 1971, Page 5

Popular food for parties

(By

CELIA TIMMS)

A list of all the party savouries that have been devised would probably stretch from Cape Reinga to the Bluff or, would you believe, across several pages. But in spite of the enormous variety of the “small eats,” it is the old favourites that keep turning up at every party. The reason must be because they are favourites, so why replace them? In the following recipes you may find one or two new ideas, but most are well-tried recipes.

Probably you have eaten most of these savouries at parties, but here are some instructions in making them for those who have not had the courage to ask their hostesses for the recipes. Winter parties must have a goodly proportion of hot savouries. The most popular of these such as oyster patties, sausage rolls, curry puffs, angels, and devils on horseback are wrapped in pastry. But cold “bits and pieces” are very good to serve as “starters.” The “pick” variety looks most attractive when presented on some colourful or unusual base.

Bases I have used include a fresh, red cabbage with the outer leaves peeled down to the tighter, more tender ones, grapefruit, cucumber, a colourful, orange-coloured pumpkin, and the long, “wife-beater” type of bread loaf.

SAUSAGES AND SARDINES Sausage Rolls and Sardine Rolls are made using puff pastry or the pastry used in the Oyster Turnovers. Sausage meat to which a little grated onion and crushed garlic is added can .be used for the filling and if this is rolled into a long sausage and enclosed in a strip of pastry, these can be very quickly made.

Glaze the long roll of sausage filled pastry with beaten egg or milk and then cut into pieces about lin in width, making a gash in the middle top with the blade of the knife. Cook in hot oven (375-400) 10-15 minutes.

Sardines can be- rolled in small pieces of puff pastry but this is better done separately rather than in one long roll. Squeeze a little lemon juice over each whole drained sardine before wrapping with the pastry and make a couple of gashes in each roll with a sharp knife before cooking. Sardine Twists can also be made by rolling puff pastry to about Jin thickness and spreading this with mashed, drained sardines with a sprinkle of lemon juice. Fold into envelope (three equal sized overlaps) and roll out. Repeat this until sardine is well incorporated in pastry. Roll out very thin finally (about an eighth of an inch) in Jin strips, 6in long. Bend from centre and twist or tie in a loose knot. Bake at 425 for lOmin.