Easy appetizers and canapés

Delicious bites to prepare in advance and consume on any occasion

They are ideal for any celebration. These small bites to start your appetite in the run-up to a big meal, are perfect to prepare in advance and enjoy with your guests without having to worry about the oven or the pan.

Aperitifs are very popular in Spain and are consumed regularly, while in other countries they are only prepared to celebrate an event. A skewer or a tapa, but also some snacks like olives, french fries or cold cuts, are the perfect accompaniment to a beer, a vermouth or a glass of wine. We also find the classic canapé, which has a base of bread or puff pastry and is eaten with the fingers and in one bite. They cannot be missed in stand-up cocktails.

To this day, appetizers and canapes have been modernized, even reaching haute cuisine, where we can find sophisticated dishes to eat in one bite.

We suggest three proposals to share and enjoy as one more guest in harmony with a glass of cava and Acqua Panna. Enjoy your meal!

Ingredients for 12 appetizers

For the deviled eggs

• 6 XL eggs
• 150 g of smoked fish (salmon, tuna and cod)
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Sriracha or hot sauce
• Capers and pickles
• Soy sauce
• Salt and black pepper

For the crunchy prawns

• 12 fat prawns
• 12 basil leaves
• 3 sheets of brick pasta
• 12 wooden skewers
• Oil for frying
• Salt

For the pickled mussels

• 24 fat mussels
• 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 50 ml apple cider vinegar
• 50 ml of white wine
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• ½ red onion
• Citrus (orange and lemon)
• Laurel
• Peppercorns

Step by step elaboration

For the deviled eggs

1. Cook the eggs in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. Peel and cut the eggs in half. Separate the whites and the egg yolks.
3. In a bowl, mix the yolks together with the rest of the previously chopped ingredients. Remember that the filling should be juicy and creamy. Add more mayonnaise, if necessary.
4. Fill the eggs and top with mayo with a touch of sriracha. Finish with a chopped yolk on top.

For the pickled mussels

1. Clean the mussels. Heat a pot over high heat and once hot, add the mussels and cover. Leave at least 5 minutes or until the mussels are all open.
2. Remove and, once cool, remove the meat from the mussel. Reserve.
3. In a frying pan over low heat, lightly fry the unpeeled garlic, just once, in the extra virgin olive oil.
4. When the garlic begins to take color, add the paprika. Lightly fry and add the spices, vinegar and wine.
5. Incorporate the vegetables previously chopped in very fine julienne strips and allow to reduce for two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer to a container.
6. Add the mussels, a touch of citrus zest, cover and marinate overnight.

For the brick prawns

1. Peel the prawns, removing the head and body. Reserve.
2. Cut the brick pasta into four pieces.
3. Stretch the pasta and put a basil leaf and on top of it, a prawn with a pinch of salt.
4. Roll up and close the pasta with a skewer stick.
5. Fry the prawns, drain the oil well and remove the skewer before serving. You can accompany it with pink sauce or a touch of kimchi mayonnaise.

‘Harmonies in Flavors and Fragrances’ by Juan Muñoz Ramos.

Two great stars in a sky of canapés that delight young and old in this unique month and in this very special year. But we should not be sad, because the solution is already approaching and we will laugh again, touch and hug each other and, if possible, among all humanity, but for now we hug only each other, among the family, among that. They are called «the cohabitants», and it does not matter, we are disciplined.

But joy should never be lacking and, as this writing began, we have two great stars with us: Acqua Panna and Finca La Capella de Juvé & Camps.

A fine, smooth, elegant and divine water, and a Cava de Paraje Calificado with more than ten years of long aging, of long harmony.

Everything is joy, but yes, with level, quality and balance between water-wine-dish, it is the basis of harmony at a table, because this harmony is what balances our body and, on such gastronomic occasions as Christmas, we always have to gradually increase intensity. It is for this reason that we have put this water and this cava to accompany the canapés of each year, canapés full of flavor and magic.

A water like Acqua Panna full of sweetness and kindness and this Cava Finca La Capella full of complexity, texture and flavor. All with one goal: that we all be as happy as we can now and forever.

Tips

• When cooking the eggs, add a splash of vinegar to the water, so you will peel them better.
• Sriracha sauce is a slightly spicy sauce of Thai origin. If you don’t have it, you can use a few drops of tabasco.
• The mussels are ideal and very tasty. Let them marinate in the vinaigrette to make them even richer. Ideal to have them submerged for 48 hours.
• When frying the prawns, choose a good extra virgin olive oil and, before serving, drain them on absorbent paper.

Make it a perfect meal with our Smoked Salmon, here you can find the step by step recipe.

End this amazing meal with a Oreo Cheesecake, click here to see the complete recipe.