Our best bite-sized recipes for the holiday season
Having a big party? You’ll need bite-sized appetizers!
Whether for an aperitif or a cocktail buffet, canapés, amuse-bouches, and other finger foods make the difference between a simple meal and a full-on holiday party. From bombette pugliesi to smoked salmon pizza canapés, here are our top 10 holiday bites.
Baked camembert with figs and balsamic vinegar
The perfect starter for a relaxed evening of hosting. As an aperitif or starter, all you need is five ingredients and no dishes! The balsamic vinegar enhances the figs, while the rosemary adds a fragrant touch.
Ricotta, hazelnut and truffle honey crostini
The art of aperitivo is learned, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated or time consuming. These canapés will impress your guests and have them like bees to a honeypot. Crunchy and creamy, sweet and salty, it has it all and then some.
The art of making something good taste even better. Elevate our ricotta and spinach frozen pizza with crème fraîche, smoked salmon, and lemon zest. With a good base, you’ll see how easy it is to improve a recipe — sceptics get ready to be proven wrong.
Prawn and sausage skewers with gremolata
Surf and turf as an hors d’oeuvre for your next friendly get together. These skewers also make a great starter for a more formal evening. Don’t forget the gremolata!
This hot dip is the solution to hosting, while keeping it simple and not serving the same cold dips or cold cuts. All you have to do is mix it up and put it in the oven. As simple as that and even better than you think.
Salsa rosa is a bit like ketchup mixed with mayo or Thousand Island dressing, but the Italian version, all made from scratch, 15 minutes and you’re done. I love this recipe so much, I wanted to create my own version of it.
This is what your holiday table is missing: a fun appetizer that’s great to serve as soon as your guests arrive, to buy you some time if the rest isn’t quite ready.
Charcuterie platter with sgonfiotti
Have you tried sgonfiotti? These marvellous little stuffed pockets of fried dough come from Veneto and are usually flavoured with rich and fine spices, including the legendary saffron. It’s a new twist on the classic treats that will enhance your appetizer platters, especially those featuring Stefano charcuteries!
These crostones are traditionally served as an appetizer with a nice glass of vino cotto, or cooked wine. To make things a little easier, we went with a drizzle of our balsamic vinegar for that irresistible sweet and salty touch. And speaking of sweet, the fragrant and colourful persimmon—an essential Holiday fruit for most Italian families—rounds out these crunchy appetizers with a well-balanced sweetness.
These golden skewers are made from little bundles of lightly breaded meat stuffed with pancetta and cheese. No doubt, the bombette pugliesi were born to liven up your get-togethers! And although barbecue season is over, bombette are just as good cooked in a pan or in the oven.
Name a more iconic party dish than mimosa eggs … go on, we’ll wait! We’ve come up with three Mediterranean-inspired variations for you to add some sunshine to your next gathering. In fact, something tells me this trio of mimosa eggs would be perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch. Let me know if you can pick a favourite, because I can’t choose!
Ring, ring. The one-and-only supplì al telefono are calling! These supplì are usually served as an antipasto or appetizer because they’re a fun way to break bread with friends as you await the main dish. And speaking of your pals, be sure to make extra and freeze them so when company arrives unannounced, you’ll have something amazing to get the party started!
There’s a lot of family history behind this recipe! This shrimp scampi is a delicious creation made by my mom’s brother, Uncle Rudy. This shrimp scampi recipe makes for a beautiful service in the traditional Feast of the seven fishes, but it can also hold its own as a main course when served with a risotto, pasta or polenta.
Oysters are unique, and not just because they have an incomparable delicate, briny flavour. They also have the rare characteristic of being both incredibly sophisticated AND incredibly simple. Just arrange a few oysters in their shells on a platter, and your guests will immediately know the party has started! To take your oyster game up a notch, we’ve got a great two-ingredient recipe for a tasty, traditional garnish that will only take you a few minutes (seconds?) to make. Now that’s how to show off!
