Canapés. Pixabay.com / 2010 / CC0 1.0
Starters, or appetizers, are a wonderful way to start a meal when time and occasion allows. Though they tend to be pricey in restaurants, they don’t have to be pricey to make at home — it’s just the time to make, and enjoy them, that is the question.
A good starter can also serve as a light lunch on a hot summer’s day.
Soups and salads are also classic starters.
See also: Salad recipes, Soup recipes
A hearty dip that will have people hovering by the bowl, so place it somewhere out of traffic flow. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop it up with.
Dead easy cheeseballs to make, with surprise fruit-and-nut centres that give them a bit of sophistication.
Chalupas means little boats. They are made of cornmeal-dough, formed into little canoes, deep-fried and then filled with toppings of your choice.
These are spicy chiles, stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried. Simply amazing.
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Set a platter of these out at a party, and stand back.
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You can serve this hot, or at room temperature, making it an hour in advance.
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Hummos on nachos? Who’da thought? But it is actually a fantastic, morish combination.
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As this is a starter and parsley is a featured item, it is probably best to use fresh parsley.
This thick dip has complex, smoky roasted flavours with a satisfying fullness to the taste, despite being almost fat-free — so it’s a very healthy dip you can confidently put out for your guests.