Small plate ideas

[BeansMeansBeans]

We are having some friends over for dinner on the weekend and I've decided I want to do a range of small plates. Mainly because we all ordered some together recently and they were totally rubbish! So far I'm doing:

• macaroni cheese
• meatballs in a tomato sauce
• feta wrapped in filo drizzled with honey
• possibly sticky ribs or wings
• loaded nachos

Clearly need a salad, perhaps a tomato salad. Maybe do a pickle too

Any other ideas or favourite small plates?

I like chorizo in red wine (just render the chorizo, then splash of red wine cooked off and serve)

What sort of pickle are you going to make? I’m curious because I wouldn’t normally have pickle with your other dishes and I do like new ideas / combinations

I would add something bean based. Butter beans or chick peas

I'd happily eat all of those, but if I was cooking I'd probably stick to Spanish tapas.

There are a lot of dishes that can be prepared ahead, & either served @ room temp. or re-heated.

for a salad this herby gem salad with maple lime sesame dressing by Ixta Belfrage is lovely. Really well balanced and has a great flavour, but sits well amongst many other dishes and it isn't overpowering. It's m go to salad for a spread.

Focaccia is always welcome at any dinner table. But especially if you have things in sauce that want to be mopped up.

I went to an Italian recently and their burrata with olive oil, rocket, basil, pesto, raspberry, and blood peach was stunning. Though you might not need another cheese based plate!

Another veggie plate and/or a fish or seafood based dish seems to be the omission for me looking at the list.

I would pick a theme e.g. Italian, spanish, mexican rather than a mixture of cuisines that don't necessarily go together. It needs some vegetable dishes for me.

Turn the macaroni cheese into balls and fry like a pasta version of arancini, ditch the nachos and add a salad and a veg option and it would feel more cohesive

Asparagus with labneh, brown butter and burnt lemon is really tasty for a veg dish.

Patatas bravas. Easy to do and everyone loves them.

Cut up and roast potatoes. Drizzle over chili mayo and ordinary mayo. Voila!
(That is a cheat's version!)

I second the pp that suggested sticking to a theme. Either Greek or Spanish.
If Greek - feta salad, dolma, pitta bread, roasted med veg, lamb koftas
If Spanish - chorizo in red wine, tortilla, garlic/pil pil prawns, cheese/ham platter, patatas bravas, a mini paella, salad

Feta, watermelon, chilli and mint salad on a rocket bed.
Brie, tomato and anchovy (can be omitted) baked on sourdough.
Onion gently fried with courgette, add baby broad beans, lemon, thyme and a drizzle of olive oil.
Aubergine and tomato layers with oregano topped with mozzarella and baked.

This!

Agree with others that it's an unusual mix. Perhaps either a Mexican ish sweetcorn, peppers, red onion, coriander and chilli or small (2 inch) corn on the cob with lime and Parmesan.

Agree that you need to pick a theme.

Greek would be my choice - feta parcels, lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, chicken souvlaki skewers, Greek salad, maybe some stuffed tomatoes? Can add hummus/tsatzkiki and flatbreads.

Ok message received that it's a random mix

The Mac and cheese has to be there, as it's one of the friend's fave dishes and she never gets it as her DH does all the cooking but cannot handle Mac and cheese because he got food poisoning from it once. So I thought I'd treat her!

Maybe an American theme would work better and I could ditch the feta/olives side of things? Although arguably that's the yummier side!

So for American theme you could get away with add mac and cheese, then ribs, corn cobs, caesar salad, pizza, strip steak and fries.

Italian mac and cheese, meatballs, really good tomato and mozzarella salad, plus maybe veal escalopes with lemon, one other pasta dish, bruschetta, parma ham and melon, arancini, good foccacia bread.

Very random assortment but.. it’s fine! A few of my faves.. again very random cuisines;
Garlic and chilli prawns
vine leaves
feta and watermelon salad is a fave
olives
hummus and pitta
chicken wings
chorizo, chicken and pepper skewers
Halloumi with sweet chilli dip
could you do a cheeseboard? Always a nice addition.
breads and oil/balsamic dip
pate?
Meatballs - albondigas
Air fried courgette fries
Keema and buns
Tomato and onion bruschetta
Garlic mushrooms
Calamari
Padron peppers