Snack plates for quiet times
Snack plate ideas for slow summer days. Less cooking, more assembling, very tasty.
Sometimes all we want is a cold peach and a bottle of iced mineral water. Sometimes it’s a little plate of tasty things that’s all yours, no sharing (everyone gets their own).
This is what I want to cook this weekend. Or rather, assemble.
It’s been a big month hasn’t it?! From the busyness of December to Christmas, New Years and all the things in between…now is the time for quiet nights at home with snack plates in the garden after the heat of the day. Maybe with a book? Maybe listening to some beautiful tunes? Or maybe with a small few, or just you and your own thoughts.
I love making food for groups of people and I love shared tables. But sometimes I just want my own little plate of treats instead of a big grazing platter; an assemblage of crunchy, pickled, creamy, fresh and tangy things to be enjoyed at and in leisure.
So on that note, here are four snack plates we could make and take outside and nibble on this weekend. Obviously the idea here is to work with what you’ve got handy, make up your own snack plate exactly how you want it.
Happy snacking and see you next Wednesday for the full ‘Borage 2024’ recipe post.
Sophie x
Ok so the idea here is to roast up some chickpeas till crispy (see below), then plate up on a little puddle of natural yogurt and add sliced radish, crunchy green beans (I don’t cook mine but you could blanch if you prefer), some mint leaves, thinly sliced red onion, chilli flakes, lemon juice, olive oil and crackers.
For the chickpeas….preheat oven to 200C. Drain a tin of chickpeas and rinse then tip onto a baking tray and sprinkle with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper (or take the easy road like I did here and toss with a couple of tsps of this Mingle chipotle taco mix). Toss with olive oil and pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are golden and crunchy. Toss them all around about halfway through.
Crunchy chickpeas + yogurt + radishes + green beans + mint + lemon + red onion + lemon + olive oil + crackers
You say tomato, I say tonnato…
I’m a big huge fan of tonnato sauce (basically tuna mayonaise - stay with me). Vitello Tonnato is a classic Northern Italian dish, thinly sliced poached veal topped with (or on a bed of ) tonnato and served with capers and a squeeze of lemon.
The sauce is also excellent with tomatoes, eggs, many many things. I love it here on this snack plate
Tomato + tonnato + a boiled egg + a couple of crackers + dukkah for crunch.
For the quick tonnato sauce - grab a 200g can of good tuna in oil and tip it (with the oil) into a blender or food processor, add about a cup of good mayo, the juice of half a lemon and a good grinding of pepper. Blitz until smooth. Check the flavour and add more lemon if you think it needs it. Done!
This snack plate would be an excellent breakfast (maybe swap the crackers for toast?), lunch or dinner.
I’d happily have it for all three.
Gravlax (or smoked salmon) + cucumber strips tossed with toasted sesame seeds + toasted almonds + cream cheese + crackers + pickled jalapenos = Delicious.
A lovely ripe peach + a few shards of good hard cheese + a few slices of proscuitto + a squeeze of lemon + a drizzle of olive oil + breadsticks = Summer evening perfection.
More ideas
What about a piece of sourdough bread, toasted then topped with slices of Australian gruyere (or other) cheese and put under a grill until bubbling and golden. Then top with a few pieces of proscuitto and drizzle with honey and finish with a few chilli flakes.
Or toast soldiers (ideally sourdough toasted then cut into thick batons), a good pat of good unsalted butter, a little bowl of anchovies, another of salsa verde (recipe below, or storebought).
Or radishes and salted butter with sliced baguette.
Also…
How gorgeous is this ceramic snack plate from Kleyn Ceramics? And I also love this one.
These speckled glasses from Kip and Co filled with one of these bottled spritzes or something soft.
This playlist, aptly called ‘shhhhhhh’
Build a snack plate around a good wedge of cheese such as Pecora Dairy’s renowned Yarrawa. A cheese this good needs only a few crackers, or maybe go with one of their softer, younger cheeses and perhaps a slice of something fresh and fruity (a ripe apricot?) or some beautiful dried fruit.
Cannot recommend Susie Theodorou’s new book No-Cook Cookbook enough - packed with inspo for snack plates and main course cheese plates and loads more.
The Dill Tickle makes excellent pickles and preserves. Highly recommend always having a few jars in the pantry for snack plate situations.
