Asked to make starter for 7 people, no oven - help please!

[Blackbird1234]

I've been asked to make a vegetarian starter for 7 people for Christmas day. Where I'm currently staying doesn't have an oven. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.

Any ideas?

Just bought king prawns, seafood sauce and iceberg lettuce from M&S for our prawn cocktail starter. Easy peasy!

Oops sorry, not veggie

Depends how veggie. Do they do eggs, milk, cheese etc?

Smoked salmon or pate on crackers

Soup definitely! With some toppings to fancy it up - eg croutons, toasted sesame seeds, parmesan shavings, micro greens, depending on what kind of soup.

Or fancy assembly job like burrata, figs, nice leaves, balsamic drizzle.

I feel like jumping up & down on some of the people here...

Fish? NOT veggie
Meat? NOT veggie
Parmesan? NOT veggie
Chicken/beef stock? NOT veggie

Sweet little donkey... It's a piece of piss to cater for vegetarians. You just don't add anything to the meal that is the by product of dead animals! And I'm not even a vegetarian! Anyone who eats any of the above is also not a vegetarian, so please don't say 'my friend's a vegetarian, but SHE eats chicken.' You have no idea how difficult it makes eating out for people who do actually stick to a vegetarian or vegan diet. If I had a pound for every time I've heard someone say 'can't you just pick the bits of meat out?'

OP, depends on the set up of the meal, but if it's a formal sit down thing, then something light like the endive/blue cheese/walnut salad, or the cous cous which pretty much makes itself sounds ideal. Depends on what else the other courses are going to be, but for a starter I'd go for something quite light & refreshing.

Cous cous as a pre-Christmas dinner starter just doesn't work imo.

Yes to screaming at the salmon / charcuterie people.

Also, rtft! There are 130 ish posts, but no, people think that they're so importantly busy that they just skim the OP, ignore all the other posts and suggest smoked salmon. As it's Xmas. No one will have thought of that already, surely?

Hear, hear to all three of the latest posts! Goodness me.

Bruschetta made in a frying pan.

If anyone is GF can serve theirs on a griddled courgette slice

Oops, I suggested parmesan. But I’m sure there is a vegetarian alternative.

Lots of good ideas. We usually have a nice homemade soup with the proverbial MN favourite of Crusty bread and butter

But I'm liking the sound of some of the simple salad arrangements. Easy to put together and nice and light

@zafferana

Agreed - sharing food is not a good idea this Christmas!

It literally makes no difference. It's AIRBORNE.

Remus I agree with you, but it does kind of depend on whether it's going to be a traditional sit down Christmas dinner, or something slightly different. A starter for me needs to have a bit of flavour & texture, so I'd go with the endive suggestion because it's not too filling, but still feels like you've had something special. My mum does it quite a lot with blue cheese, pomegranate, walnut, pine nuts, olives, etc. It's just something you assemble, rather than having to cook.

Stilton paté. Mix Stilton with a bit of cream cheese, throw in some port, serve with crackers or Melba toast.

Alternative to this: 200g cannelini beans and a drained jar of artichokes, and two cloves of garlic. Blend to make a dip or.pate alternative.

it’s AIRBORNE
So apparently fine to share food in a pandemic with infected adults, people with a cold, flu, and kids infested with: lice, worms, pox, hand foot&mouth. Yuuuuum. 😄🤢
Vegetarian food is easily made, but it does not contain dead fish, mammals, organs or stomachs as an ingredient, as suggested by a lot of people here who can’t understand written words.

@SummerHouse

Do you have a job

I was just thinking gosh, deviled eggs must require more effort than I thought.

😂😂😂😂😂

This threat reminds me of my grandad bless him.

"Jello I got you a ham roll from the bakery for you as a special treat"

"Grandad I'm vegetarian"

"But it's ham!"

"Thanks grandad..."

@mildtomoderate - it has to be veggie

I do a lovely starter with avocado chopped / mashed with finely chopped raw onion or spring onions, a spoonful of cottage cheese, sprinkled with cheddar and warmed under the grill until the cheese melts. Also add tinned salmon if its for non veggies.

Soup or pate with nice bread.

I made a mushroom pate 2 years ago when we hosted Christmas and it was lovely. I think it was this recipe:
www.thespruceeats.com/herbed-vegetarian-mushroom-pate-recipe-3377696

Laughing so much at this thread 😂 Thank you all for the recommendations!

To answer a couple of questions that were asked - no fish eating vegetarians/that's not a vegetarian, its last minute because I was supposed to spend xmas with my family but cant get to where they are due to Covid restrictions so was taken into another familys Xmas however need to make a starter, not a fancy meal at all in the country I'm in - I'll be eating half an aubergine for my main and my partner has to have chips 😂😂

Merry Christmas everyone!!