What’s the best Eurovision party food?
Claire, Manchester
Our favourite song competition (the glitter! The tactical scoring!) is back, but with this year’s contest taking place over three nights, Claire’s snack game needs to be strong. “Vine leaves are always great – you can get really good ones in jars and tins,” says Greek-Cypriot cook Georgina Hayden, the author of Nistisima. “Or do a big platter of hummus jazzed up with a fancy topping” – lamb mince fried with cinnamon, cumin and a little chilli until really crisp would be just the ticket. “Toss through some pine nuts and raisins, spoon it over the hummus, add lots of parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and some paprika, and tuck in.” Another winning snack strategy is keftedes, which are “deep-fried meatballs, which is just what you want alongside a drink, right?”
Crisp orbs of risotto would also hit the fried-snack spot. “Arancini might seem intimidating, but they’re super-easy to make, especially if you go with a less traditional recipe – apologies to my Sicilian friends,” says Filippo La Gattuta, executive chef of Big Mamma Group, whose latest restaurant, Carlotta, opens next week. Make a white risotto until it’s 90% cooked, “and not too liquidy”, then add chopped cooked ham and peas, if you fancy. Once the mix is cool, roll it into balls around a cube of mozzarella (especially if you’ve gone for ham) or a scant teaspoon of bolognese ragu in the middle. “Roll in pastella batter [200g rice flour mixed with 320ml water], then breadcrumbs, and fry in vegetable oil until golden.”
For more of an assembly job, think pineapple hedgehog. “It’s the ultimate retro buffet crowdpleaser,” says Freddie Janssen, owner of Snackbar in east London. Simply lop the top off a pineapple, scoop out the flesh, stand it on its end and fill it with French onion dip. Then you can decorate the outsides with cocktail sticks “packed with cubed cheese, cured meat, pickles, olives and anchovies”. Alternatively, Angel Zapata Martin, former head chef of London’s Barrafina and Parrillan, suggests “watching Spain triumph” with a sardine and olive bun in hand. It couldn’t be easier to knock up, either: “Take a split brioche bun, a can of sardines in olive oil and some manzanilla olives, put the latter two inside the former and enjoy.”
Olia Hercules, meanwhile, spreads the joy with avanturka (meaning “hustler’s snack”), a recipe from her book Summer Kitchens. “Ukrainians love radishes and flavoured curd cheese,” she says. “This can be prepared at the last minute, and, of course, it has dill in it.” You’ll also need coriander, purple basil, tarragon and chervil (enough for a handful), plus radishes (or other crunchy veg), curd cheese (such as Polish tvarog) and spring onions. “Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, then mix the cheese with sliced spring onions and chopped herbs, and season.” Dunk the veg in the resulting cheesy goodness or slather it on sourdough or rye bread.
Finally, whether you’re celebrating or commiserating, a poached bacon sandwich has your back – ideally using one of Peter Hannan’s sugar pit bacon joints, says Richard Corrigan, chef-patron of the Corrigan Collection. “Choose your bread – wheaten, for me – and spread with plenty of butter. Then make a coleslaw with shredded cabbage, finely sliced jalapeños and a healthy squirt of mayonnaise.” Spoon on to the bread, top with the bacon, then “crack open a cold bottle of Kinnegar’s Donegal lager – now that sounds like a good night!”
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