This is part of Sainsbury’s ‘Canapénds’ campaign.
Across the nation, we’re preparing to kick off the Christmas celebrations. UK families buy an average of £216 worth of food and drink* per household for the festive period, but data from WRAP tells us that up to £340million of food can be wasted in each month.
We all know that Christmas can be an expensive time of year as we love to spend money on special treats for family and friends, so Sainsbury’s team of chefs have created a collection of delicious Christmas ‘Canap-énds’, providing a route for some smart savings this Christmas, that will impress your guests while making the festive budget go a little further.
Sainsbury’s chefs Nicola Bramley and Shu Tan have masterminded six inspirational Christmas canapés, combining some of the nation’s most wasted food 'ends' according to WRAP with easy to access store cupboard staples. Every year, Brits throw away more than 4.2million tonnes of food that could be eaten - including an enormous 350,000 tonnes of bread, 320,000 tonnes of potatoes, and 99,000 tonnes of pork, ham and bacon. However, instead of sending them straight to the bin – you can now turn them into beautiful party ‘canap-énds.’
So, whether you’ll want to transform the ends of those sausages and potatoes into innovative ‘Sausage & Mash Cupcakes’ or use the end of that cucumber and salmon to make light and healthy ‘Salmon Tartare on Cucumber slices’ there’ll be something exciting for everyone. And for those with a sweet tooth, the ‘Chocolate, Sea Salt & Pistachio Mini Toasties’ are sure to hit the spot.
Not only are these recipes guaranteed to impress, they all take less than 15 minutes to prepare and they’ll also help reduce household food waste and your Christmas party food bill– leaving more to spend on the family.
Nicola Bramley, Sainsbury's Development Chef comments: “Families are often looking for Christmas party food inspiration, and these tasty ‘canap-ends’ can be created using frequently thrown away foods and store cupboard ingredients.
"They take less than 15mins to make, help save money and most importantly make the most of food that would otherwise be wasted. Sainsbury’s knows our customers worry about wasting food and are dedicated to helping make their food go that little bit further, and limiting waste within our own supply chain.”
Gin and lemon salmon tartar, on cucumber with crème fraiche and dill
Makes 10
• 10 Cucumber slices, salted
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche
• 1 tsp chopped dill
• Few sprigs of dill to garnish
• Salmon marinade
• 1 x 150g salmon fillets
• 20ml of good quality gin
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of sea salt
Method
1. Chop the salmon very finely and place into a bowl with the marinade ingredients
2. Leave for 5-10 minutes, until salmon is just starting become opaque around the edges
3. Place a spoonful of crème fraiche on each piece of the cucumber pieces and add then top with a teaspoon full of salmon mixture. Sprinkle with dill
Thai Red Curry Meatballs, with a Lime Coriander Yoghurt Dip
Makes 8-10
· 100g leftover pork mince
· 1.5 tbsp ready-made Thai Red Curry Paste
· Small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped (save stalks for dip)
· 100ml Greek yoghurt
· Juice of half a lime
· 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
· Coriander stalks, finely chopped
· Salt, to taste
· 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
· Fresh Coriander or lime wedges, for garnish
1. In a mixing bowl, mix pork mince, coriander and red curry paste thoroughly. Shape into small bite size balls on a plate or tray.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat, start frying the meatballs until all sides are browned and just cooked through for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan and rest for a few minutes before plating.
3. Mix yoghurt, lime juice, garlic and coriander in a dipping bowl and serve alongside meatballs. Garnish with more coriander or lime wedges.
Mini stilton toasties (PICTURED) topped with caramelised port glazed pear and rocket
Makes up to 12
• 4 slices of white bread
• 60g stilton (ends)
• 60 butter
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 pear
• Splash of port
• Handful of rocket leaves
Method
1. Butter the bread on both sides and lay onto a board. Slice the stilton and use to top 2 slices of the bread – then place the other piece of bread on top to form sandwich
2. Core and cut the pear into wedges and then halve each wedge. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sugar and cook until beginning to caramelise. Add the pears and cook on each side until golden and softened (approx. 5 mins). Add the port and cook for a further 2-3 minutes
3. Heat a large frying pan and then cook the sandwiches on each side for a couple of minutes until golden and crispy and the cheese has melted – pressing down lightly with a spatula
4. Remove the sandwiches, cut of the crusts and the cut each into 4-6 rectangular pieces
5. Top with a rocket leaf, followed by a piece of the pear and push a cocktail stick through to secure everything in place
Harissa & Sesame Prawn Toast
Makes 16
· 250g prawns
· 3 spring onions
· 0.5 tbsp cornflour
· 1 tbsp harissa paste
· 1 small egg white
· 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
· 4 slices of white bread
· Vegetable oil, for brushing
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Whizz prawns, harissa paste, spring onions, cornflour and egg white in food processor until a paste forms but still with texture. Alternatively, roughly chop prawns and spring onions and mix in cornflour and egg white.
2. Cut slices of bread into 4 triangles. Brush one side of bread slices with oil, grill oil side for 2 minutes or until just lightly golden. Remove from grill and flip over to non-grilled side. Divide prawn paste onto bread, press down lightly and brush with a little vegetable oil.
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds all over and place back under grill for 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Sausage and mash cupcakes
Makes 12
• 12 Mini foil cupcake cases
• 150g leftover sausage meat
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 150g cold mashed potato
• 1tbsp butter
• 3 rashers of streaky bacon
• 1 tbsp chopped chives, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
Method
1. Place the cupcake cases into a mini muffin tin and put a couple of pinches of breadcrumbs into the base of each (this will absorb the oil for the sausage meat). Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan
2. Season the sausage meat with salt and pepper and thyme (could also use leftover pork stuffing). Roll into 2cm balls and press each ball into a cupcake case
3. Using a star shaped nozzle, pipe the mash potato onto each sausage cupcake, as you would ice a cupcake. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12minutes
4. Cook the bacon until crispy and cut into triangular shaped wafers
5. Finish each cupcake with a sprinkling of chives
