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Delia's Hot Middle Eastern Buffet for 12
Why Middle Eastern, you’re thinking. Let me explain. I sometimes think buffet food can be rather bland – a quiche served straight from the oven may be an absolute delight, but cold or re-heated, it loses much of its charm. The combination of lively flavours and contrasting textures in Middle Eastern cooking, though, makes for perfect buffet fare. A nice addition to this would be warm Pitta Bread and Hummus.
- _Menu for 12
Spiced Lamb Koftas braised in Tomato Sauce
Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Pilau Rice, Currants and Toasted Pine Nuts
Courgette and Potato Cakes with Mint and Feta Cheese
Mixed Vegetable Salad à la Grècque
Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake with Yoghurt and Pistachios
Pistachio Ice Cream
Pistachio Wafers
Optional extras:
Pitta Bread
Hummus bi Tahini (recipe x 2)*_
Two days before
*Make the Mixed Vegetable Salad à la Grècque and store in a lidded container in the fridge.
*Make the Pistachio Ice Cream and freeze in a lidded plastic container.
*Make the Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake with Yoghurt and Pistachios, drizzle with the syrup and store in a cool place in an airtight tin.
The day before
*Make the Spiced Lamb Koftas braised in Tomato Sauce, simmering them in a covered saucepan for 30 minutes only, then cool, transfer them to a lidded plastic container and store in the fridge.
*Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Pilau Rice: roast the peppers for the rice, then cool and store them in a lidded container in the fridge.
*Make the Courgette and Potato Cakes with Mint and Feta Cheese so they are ready to bake, arrange in layers on a tray, separated by silicone paper (parchment), cover well with clingfilm and then refrigerate.
*Make the Pistachio Wafers and store in an airtight container in a cool place.
On the morning of your party
*Weigh out the pilau rice ingredients. Chop and cook the onions in the oil, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave on one side until later. Chop the mint to garnish the rice, cover and store in the fridge until needed.
*Chop the parsley and spring onions for garnishing the salad, cover and refrigerate until needed.
*Transfer the ice cream from the freezer to a cool place to stand, then put a baking tray lined with silicone paper (parchment) into the freezer. After about 30 minutes, shape the ice cream into balls using a scoop, put them on to the chilled baking tray and return them, uncovered, to the freezer.
*Arrange the pistachio wafers on a plate and cover with clingfilm.
Two hours before your guests arrive
*Put the butter and oil for the courgette cakes into a small saucepan ready to melt.
*Put the salad into two serving dishes, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the prepared parsley-and-spring-onion garnish, and cover with clingfilm.
*Place the cake on a serving plate, spread with the yoghurt and sprinkle with the pistachios. Then push five cocktail sticks into the cake to stop the cover touching the topping. Cover loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate.
When your guests begin to arrive
*Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C), with a baking tray on the top and middle shelf.
50 minutes before serving the buffet
*Put the koftas into a large saucepan, cover and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then remove the lid and allow to simmer for 30 minutes to reduce the sauce and heat the koftas thoroughly. Transfer to one or two warmed serving bowls and cover with kitchen foil.
40 minutes before serving the buffet
*Melt the butter-and-oil mixture and brush the courgette cakes, then arrange them on the pre-heated baking trays and bake for 25-30 minutes (turning them over once after 15 minutes, and at the same time swapping over the baking trays). Transfer to a warmed serving dish once heated through and cover with kitchen foil.
30 minutes before serving the buffet
*Warm the cooked onions and garlic for the rice, stir in the pine nuts, currants and cinnamon, then the rice, add the boiling stock, stir once and then cover. Cook on the lowest setting for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cover with a clean tea cloth.
20 minutes before serving the buffet
*Place the cooked peppers on a baking tray and warm through in the oven for 10 minutes. Then fill them with the cooked rice and serve the remaining rice in a warmed serving bowl. Cover with kitchen foil and keep warm.
Before calling your guests to the buffet
*Uncover the vegetable salad, courgettes cakes, koftas and rice. Garnish the stuffed peppers with the prepared mint.
When you’re ready for dessert
*Remove the ice cream from the freezer.
*Uncover the wafers.
*Remove the clingfilm and cocktail sticks from the cake and drizzle with honey.
