Planning your party and stuck for ideas for the perfect buffet? Take a look at a few of these meaty ideas to help you make the most out of your bite sized selections. Make your meatballs standout by putting something inside them. How about stuffed pork meatballs with romesco sauce are stuffed with an olive or cheese-stuffed chorizo meatballs?
For those desiring a more sophisticated meatball, try stuffed pork meatballs filled with chard and chèvre. Meatballs are versatile and are satisfying on their own. They can also go well in a sandwich – try teaming meatballs with a rich tomato sauce and baguette or ciabatta.
So you’ve got your meatball ideas sorted – you can also treat your guests to pork pies, sausage rolls and beautiful pies. Garnish your meat feast with pickled vegetables, salad and colourful peppers to add variety. You could display some onion chutney to compliment your meats and pork pies.
Here’s a recipe idea for you to make perfect sticky onion chutney:
Recipe
- 140g (4.9 oz) Butter
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 2kg (4.4 lbs) Red onions, finely diced
- 4 Cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 140g (4.9 oz) Caster sugar
- 1 tbsp Fresh thyme leaves
- 75ml (2.6 fl oz) Red wine
- 350ml (12.3 fl oz) Sherry or red wine vinegar
- 200ml (7 fl oz) Port
Method
- Melt the butter and oil in a larger heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter
- Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves and some salt and pepper. Give the pan a good shake and reduce the heat slightly
- Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they’re really soft and sticky and they smell of sugar. But they shouldn’t be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. The secret to deliciously sweet caramelized onions is slow cooking, so don’t rush this part
- Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer, still uncovered, stirring every so often, until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. When you draw a spoon across the bottom of the pan, it should clear a path that fills rapidly with a syrupy juice
- Leave the onions to cool in the pan then scoop into jars and seal. The chutney can be enjoyed straight away, but also keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months
