Thursday Night Tapas

I felt like some picky things tonight so opted for my own version of tapas. I had Chilli Prawns, Chorizo in Wine with Shallots and Prawns with Garlic and Lime juice.

Chorizo in Wine

• Slice the chorizo into half inch thick slices.
• Finely slice a shallot and a garlic clove.
• Fry the chorizo until crispy and slightly blackened at the edges. Remove from the pan.
• Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and fry until slightly golden but not browned.
• Add the chorizo back to the pan and throw in a big splash of red wine.  Allow it bubble down to half its original quantity.
• Then add some finely chopped black pepper, flat-leaf parsley and fresh thyme. Give the whole thing a stir and place into a small dish and place in the oven at the same time as the prawns.

Prawns with Garlic & Lime
This one's easy. For this and the next prawn recipe, used cooked and peeled king prawns.
Mix the prawns well with a couple of teaspoons each of olive oil and lime juice, a finely chopped garlic clove, some seasoning and chopped flat-leaf parsley.  Heat gently in the oven for approximately 15mins.

Chilli Prawns

Mix the prawns well with chilli flakes, smoked paprika, finely chopped garlic clove, some seasoning and finely chopped flat-leaf parsley. As with the other prawn dish, heat gently in the oven for approximately 15mins.


These dishes are nice served with a crusty roll.

Any of these dishes would also make a nice starter or lunch dish.

Buffet Pictures

I didn't manage to get photos of all the food at the buffet but I did manage to get pix of the main courses I prepared. They give you an idea of quantity of food that was available.

The Boxes of Makhani & Spanish stew

The Chicken Makhani

The Spanish Chicken Stew

Buffet Time

The last couple of days have been mad busy for me and she who lives in the Manor!! Party time had come and we'd decided that we'd share the buffet duties. This involved working out how to feed 50plus people. The kids were easy to feed throw em a few cocktail sausages, chicken wings and slices of pizza and they're happy. For the adults we'd decided on some pickages to start with followed by a full meal with sides.  It went something like this:

Picky Things

Prawn Cocktail Lettuce Cups * Salami & Roasted pepper skewers * Bread sticks wrapped in Prosciutto & Serrano Ham * Bruschetta * Homemade Brown Breads

Main Event

Chicken Makhani (Mamta's Kitchen recipe) * Spanish Chicken Stew * Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce * Crispy Layered Potatoes * Basmati Rice * Buttered New Potatoes *

Other kind people brought Apple & Rhubarb tarts, pavlova (which I love but didn't get to taste) and other stuff. The wine was beginning to kick in so I wasn't paying enough attention.

Mrs. Manor had treated herself to a chaffing dish and I performed the dinner lady duties serving the masses. I can't forget Miss C who was a fantastic help and I couldn't have managed without her during the day!! The night and food were a success thankfully. Any night that ends with you singing 'Rio' on Band Hero with your 12 year old nephew on guitar, can't be a bad one!