‘Dirty’ veggie starter platter
This vegetarian platter makes an excellent starter dish and feels surprisingly decadent, given it is mostly made of vegetables! The halloumi fries are particularly good.
Ingredients
For the mango salsa
- 1 mango, peeled, stone removed, flesh diced
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 cooked corn on the cob, kernels removed
- 1 lime, juice only
- handful fresh coriander, chopped
- dash mango and pineapple hot sauce (or chilli sauce of your choice)
For the spicy mayonnaise
- 55g/2oz mayonnaise
- 1 tsp spicy bourbon barbecue sauce, or to taste
- lime wedge, for squeezing
For the spinach, feta and chickpea bites
- 210g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú ready-made falafel mix
- large handful fresh spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú feta, cut into 12 cubes
For the cauliflower hot wings
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 50–75ml/2–2 ½fl oz spicy bourbon barbecue sauce, to taste
- 1 heaped tbsp jerk seasoning
- 1 tsp baking powder or bicarbonate of soda
- 200ml/7fl oz sparkling water
- 1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
For the wing sauce
- 55g/2oz butter, melted
- spicy bourbon barbecue sauce, to taste
For the halloumi fries
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú halloumi, cut into chunky strips
- 55g/2oz plain flour
- 3-4 tsp jerk seasoning
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the mango salsa, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
For the spicy mayonnaise, place all of the ingredients in a small bowl, squeeze over the lime wedge and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C/350F. CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. You will need to use the deep fat fryer for the next few steps so get all the ingredients ready.
For the spinach, feta and chickpea bites, place all of the ingredients, except the feta, in a food processor and blend to make a thick paste, adding a little water if necessary. Shape the mixture around the cubes of feta and roll into small balls. Deep-fry for 3 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
For the cauliflower hot wings, place the flour, bourbon sauce, jerk seasoning and baking powder in a bowl and mix to combine. Add enough of the sparkling water to make a thick batter. Coat the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep-fry for 3–4 minutes, or until golden-brown. For the wing sauce, mix the butter and sauce together and brush over the fried cauliflower. Put any leftover sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
For the halloumi fries, pat the halloumi dry with kitchen paper. Mix the flour and jerk seasoning together and season with salt and pepper. Dust the halloumi in the flour mixture and then deep-fry for 2 minutes, or until just golden.
To serve, arrange the salsa, mayonnaise, spinach bites, cauliflower wings and halloumi fries on a serving plate or platter, with any remaining wing sauce alongside.