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Angela Casley whips up cool canapes for warm evenings

Angela Casley creates cool canapes for hot summer nights

SALMON AND CUCUMBER RYE

Serves 4

Cut the bread into smaller circles to make these finger-sized. Rye is nice and chewy to complement the soft flavours of the salmon and cucumber. Using a teaspoon is the easiest way to remove the seeds from a cucumber. No need to peel them.

1 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed ¼ tsp salt

100g sliced smoked salmon

1 tsp chopped gherkins

6 slices pumpernickel or rye bread Dill, to garnish

Lemon wedges, to serve

Dressing

2 Tbsp creme fraiche 2 Tbsp mayonnaise

½ tsp Dijon mustard Zest and juice of ½ lemon 2 Tbsp chopped dill

1. Chop the cucumber into ½ cm pieces and place into a colander. Sprinkle over the salt, cover and leave for 20 minutes to draw out the water. Rinse and place into a clean bowl.

2. Slice the salmon into 1cm strips and add to the cucumber along with the gherkins.

3. In a small bowl make the dressing by combining the creme fraiche, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon and dill. Add half to the salmon mixture, reserving the remainder to spread over the rye bread.

4. Cut the rye into 8cm circles and top with the mixture. Serve with a sprig of dill and squeeze of lemon.

SMOKED MACKEREL PATÉ Makes 1 cup

Use this paté as a base for a sandwich with crunchy cos lettuce, try it in a roulade or add a bowl of it to a cheese platter. The key is fresh, moist smoked fish. Keep it simple as I have done here or add capers, dill or even a few chopped green olives to change it up.

150g flakes fresh smoked mackerel,

bones removed

100g cream cheese

Zest and juice of lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste Toasted ciabatta

Chopped parsley, to garnish

To serve: sliced mixed cherry tomatoes and lemon wedges

1. Into a food processor place the mackerel, cream cheese and lemon, blitzing until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

2. To serve, spread generously on toasted ciabatta and top with a sprinkle of parsley, sliced tomatoes, and lemon wedges.

BEETROOT FRITTERS WITH HALLOUMI

Makes 16

To make these ahead of time, place the fritters in a single layer on a baking tray. Top with the cooked halloumi and place into the oven for a few minutes before serving. The ginger adds a hint of spice to the beetroot — a perfect match.

3 cups grated beetroot

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup fresh corn

½ cup chopped coriander, plus leaves

to garnish

¼ cup flour

2 eggs

Pinch chilli flakes

Oil, for frying

150g sliced halloumi

1. In a large bowl combine the beetroot, salt, ginger, garlic, corn, coriander and flour. Stir through the eggs and chilli flakes, mixing well.

2. To cook, heat a medium-sized pan and drizzle a little oil. Place in a heaped tablespoon of mixture, cooking for 3 or 4 minutes, then flip and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes. Remove and continue to cook the remaining mixture.

3. In the same pan turn up the heat a little. Fry the halloumi on each side for 20 seconds until lightly browned.

4. To serve, cut the halloumi while warm into pieces that fit nicely on to the fritters. Top with coriander leaves.