White and dark chocolate buttons and olive panini
Ingredients:
Rustic Italian bread: 2 slices, 2 inches in diameter
Extra virgin olive oil: One and one third tbsp.
Sea salt: a pinch
White chocolate: quarter oz
Buffalo mozzarella: 1 slice
Black and green olives: 2 each, pitted and sliced
Fresh basil leaf
Method:
Brush each slice of bread with olive oil front and back.
Top with a pinch of sea salt, a slice of buffalo mozzarella cheese, olives, basil, and place a few pieces of white and dark chocolate buttons on top.
Sandwich together and place in a preheated Panini press.
Press until golden and melted, two to three minutes.
Serve hot.
Fried mango pickle in beer batter with Siracha dipping sauce
Ingredients:
Mango pickle wedges: 12 slices
All-purpose flour: 1 cup
All-purpose flour for dredging: quarter cup
Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
Egg: 1
Your favourite beer: 1 cup
Salt and pepper: as per your taste
Paprika: 1 teaspoon
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Crack your egg in a medium mixing bowl and beat it till foamy.
Add your flour, baking soda and seasonings to the egg and mix.
Slowly pour your beer in bit by bit, lightly mixing each time till the beer is gone. Don’t over mix but make sure the mixture is smooth.
Take the reserved flour and place it on a tray. Now dredge the pickles through it…covering both sides. This way the batter will adhere nicely.
Heat oil in frying pan with about two inches of oil and bring to approximately 325 degrees or when you drop a drip of the batter it sizzles.
Take pickles and mix them in the batter and then carefully drop them into the hot oil, they will take approximately two minutes on each side for that golden brown colour.
Transfer your pickles to a dish covered with paper towels and allow them to drain a bit then move them to the serving.
Sriracha dipping sauce
Ingredients:
Greek plain yogurt: half cup
Vegetable mayonnaise: quarter cup
Sour cream: quarter cup
Sriracha: 2 tablespoons
Scallions: 4, sliced real thin (for garnish)
Method:
Mix everything together till smooth and garnish with green scallions.
The author is a chef at Mövenpick Hotel & Spa
