Birthday platter

Something different for your birthday!

Vegetable Frittata Snacks with hummus and olives

8 eggs, lightly beaten

50 ml fresh basil, finely chopped

125g grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 large red peppers, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces

300 g sweet potato, cut into 1cm slices

300g butternut, cut into 1 cm slices

60 ml olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

10 ml crushed garlic

250g baby marrows, thinly sliced

500g aubergines, cut into 1 cm slices

200 ml ready-made hummus

Calamata olives, pitted

1. Mix the eggs, basil and parmesan together. Season to taste and set aside.
2. Place the peppers skin-side down on a preheated griddle pan and grill until skins start to wrinkle and blacken. Remove from pan and peel skins off. Allow to cool.
3. Cook the sweet potato and butternut in salted water until tender. Drain and pat dry with paper towel.
4. Heat the 15 ml of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan with an ovenproof handle. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until the leeks are translucent. Add the baby marrows and fry for 2 minutes. Remove form heat and set aside.
5. Add the remaining oil to the reserved oil and add the aubergine in batches. Fry for 2 minutes a side or until golden and tender.
6. Line the base and sides of a 23 cm loaf tin with baking paper. Arrange a layer of half the aubergines on the base of the tin. Spread the leek mixture on top. Cover with the grilled peppers, the remaining aubergines and top with the butternut and sweet potato.
7. Pour the egg mixture over. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 50 – 55 minutes or until set. Allow to cool in oven.
8. Carefully turn out onto a cutting board. Cut into 25 mm thick slices, cut the slices in halve to form rectangles.
9. Top each rectangle with a dollop of hummus and an olive. Serve at room temperature.

  Makes  18 – 20  rectangles, depending on size.

30 ml butter

2 spring onions, chopped

10 ml crushed garlic

10 sweet piquanté peppers in brine, drained

750g cooked prawns, de-veined and peeled

Grated rind of 1 lime

15 ml lime juice

120ml mayonnaise

30 ml fresh coriander, chopped

Ready-bought roasted pepper sauce, to taste

Parmesan cheese sticks

1. Heat the butter in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the spring onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Allow to cool slightly.  
2. Transfer to a food processor and process with the sweet piquanté peppers, prawns, grated lime rind and juice until roughly chopped. Stir in the mayonnaise, coriander and pepper sauce.
3. Spoon into a dip bowl and serve with cheese sticks.

Makes 800 g pâté.