After a 'spiked' first taste of Foolproof Freezer Cookbook (Kyle Books, USA edition, August 2012) by Ghillie James with Mojito Sherbet here's some finger food to be enjoyed as an appetizer for dinner or passed around as a canape at a party.
Tamarind and shrimp triangles
Make these as an appetizer, or smaller versions for canapés. They are delicious served warm from the oven with a few salad greens on the side and maybe some mango chutney for dipping. Keep the seeds in the chile if you want a more fiery end result.
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 large red chile, seeded and chopped
14 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
juice of 1/2 lime
11/2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 ounces raw peeled jumbo shrimp, chopped into 5/8-inch chunks
6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
5 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons for brushing dough once thawed
To serve
Salad greens and mango chutney
Makes 12 triangles (serves 6 as an appetizer)
In a pan, heat the oil and gently sauté the onion until softened, about 0 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Then add the tomatoes, tamarind, and lime and cook until the tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce, remove the pan from the heat, and let cool.
When completely cool, stir in the shrimp and cilantro.
Lay the sheets of phyllo out on a clean counter and cover with a damp dish towel. Take one phyllo sheet and brush all over with the melted butter.
Taking hold of one long side, fold it toward the center. Brush again with the melted butter and fold in the other side to make a long, triple-layered strip. Cut this in half so that you have two pieces about 8 inches long and 3 and 1/4 inches wide.
Place 2 teaspoons of the filling at one end of the strip, leaving a 3/4-inch
border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip. Place the triangle on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. Continue until you have made all 12 triangles.
Freeze: Open freeze the unbaked triangles, then transfer to a container, label, and cover.
Cook: Brush the frozen triangles with melted butter, then bake at 400˚F for 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve with salad greens and mango chutney (loosen with a little hot water).
(* Recipe from Foolproof Freezer Cookbook by Ghillie James-Kyle Books, US Edition, August 2012-reproduced with permission- Photography by Tara Fisher)