Sylvia Jemutai is the founder of Dine with Jemutai, a platform for all things food and photography. She cooks, styles and photographs every story. She currently lives in Nairobi and is inspired by the abundance of fresh produce and eateries Kenya has to offer.
This month, as we prepare for the holiday season, she indulges us in mouth watering starters that are easy to make, great to look at and definitely a way to up your hosting game.
Tomato and Feta Tarts
Prep Time: 10min
Ready In: 20min
Pretty much the perfect appetizer or brunch plan. These beautiful tomato and feta tarts are a vegetarian-friendly option for any type of entertaining setup. Packed with flavour in every single bite it’s a great way to make use of ready made puff pastry. At times the idea of making puff pastry from scratch can be a bit daunting. This recipe right here, is a great way to start experimenting with pastry. With a few simple ingredients you’ll have a fancy looking tart in no time made in your own kitchen!
Ingredients (Makes 6 Tarts)
- 1 Sheet Puff pastry (Lions ready made)
- 200gms Cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 Yellow bell pepper chopped
- Salt & pepper
- 1 Tbsp Pesto
- 125gms Fettah Cheese sliced
- 3 Sprigs Thyme
- 1 Egg
- Dry Rub
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 ̊C degrees. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto a clean working surface and cut into 6 rectan- gles. Transfer them onto a baking tray then with a small knife, lightly score a border 1/4 inch from edges. Refrigerate for 15 mins
- Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, olive oil, and thyme, season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly beat 1 large egg and brush border of each pastry rectangle. Spread 1⁄2 tsp pesto on the pastry, staying within the border. Pile the tomato mixture, and some feta cheese slices onto each rectangle.
- Bake until tarts are golden brown and tomatoes have softened for 15 to 20 mins. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Orange Chicken Wings
Prep Time: 5min
Ready In: 25min
Lets wing it, shall we. Wings are a great finger food option for any occasion. I personally love a combination of sweet, spicy and savoury so if that sounds good to you, my Baked Sticky Orange wings should be a winner in your books.
Ingredients
- 1kg Chicken Wings
- 1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
Dry Rub
- 1 Tsp White Pepper
- 3 Tbsp Corn Flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder 1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder 1/2 Tsp Salt
ORANGE GLAZE
- Soy Sauce
- Zest & Juice of 1 Orange
- 1/2 Tsp Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Orange Marmalade
- 1 Tsp Corn Flour + Water to make a slurry
TO GARNISH
- Sesame seeds
- Green Onion sliced on the diagonal
Directions
- Rinse wings and drumettes and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl, toss with veg- etable oil and season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste.
- In a separate bowl mix together the dry rub ingredients then thoroughly coat each piece of chicken.
- Place the chicken wings on a lined bak- ing sheet with parchment paper or alu- minium foil. Then bake for 25-30 mins at 200 ̊C rotating half way through.
- In a small saucepan add the orange glaze ingredients stir and cook for 2 mins. Mix cornflour and water sepa- rately then add it to the glaze and cook for a further 3 mins.
- Transfer the chicken to a bowl then pour over the orange glaze. Tossing to thoroughly coat each piece. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion. Serve immediately.
Hummus Three Ways
Once you make your own you’ll never get store bought again. Hummus is the kind of dip I could literally eat all year round. Perfect for nachos as a dip, sandwiches and wraps. Super easy and fast, you’ll be able to whip up three batches in no time.
ORIGINAL
Prep Time: 10min
Ingredients
- 1 Can Chickpeas
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1⁄4 cup Tahini
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
- 1⁄4 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Water
Directions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Reserve a few whole chickpeas for serving.
- In a food processor combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water then blend into a creamy purée.
- Once completely smooth serve it into a bowl and spread it out with the back of spoon creating small crevices for the olive oil.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with paprika, cumin seeds or a dollop of natural yoghurt.
- Serve with some warm pitta bread and Enjoy!
ROASTED BEET
Prep Time: 10min
Ready In: 40min
Ingredients
- 2 Beetroots (Medium)
- 1 Can Chickpeas
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1⁄4 cup Tahini
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
- 1⁄4 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 4 Tbsp Water
Directions
- Wash and pat dry the beetroot, cut in half and coat with a pinch of salt & black pepper, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and 1 Tsp olive oil. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake for 40 mins at 200 ̇C
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- In a food processor combine the chickpeas, beetroot, paprika, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water then blend into a creamy purée.
- Once completely smooth serve it into a bowl and spread it out with the back of a spoon creating small crevices for the olive oil.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with, cumin seeds or a dollop of natural yoghurt.
- Serve with some warm pitta bread and enjoy!
ROASTED CARROT & BUTTERNUT
Prep Time: 10min
Ready In: 40min
Ingredients
- 150gms Butternut Squash
- 1 Carrot
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Can Chickpeas
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1⁄4 cup Tahini
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
- 1⁄4 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 4 Tbsp Water
Directions
-
- Wash and peel the butternut and carrot, cut into chunks then coat with a pinch of salt & black pepper, cumin, cinna- mon and olive oil. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake for 40 mins at 200 ̇C
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- In a food processor combine the chickpeas, beetroot, paprika, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water then blend into a creamy purée.
- Once completely smooth serve it into a bowl and spread it out with the back of a spoon creating small crevices for the olive oil.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with, cumin seeds or a dollop of natural yoghurt.
- Serve with some warm pitta bread and enjoy!