Help please! Main and Dessert organised but stuck for quick and easy starter?

[merlin]

Main is Jamie's Tray baked pork chops with pears, parsnips, rosemary etc and dessert is banana and strawberry bread and butter pudding.

Can anyone suggest a suitable starter please? Something quite light I think.

Thanks.

Oh please someone help me - I've been trawling the archives but nothing is grabbing me at the mo!

Scallops and black pudding with a little bit of salad?

grilled goats cheese on bruschetta with salad

asparagus in parma ham. parboil asparagus spears for 3-4 mins. lay out a slice of parma ham, sprinkle on some grated parmesan, roll up the asparagus in it. this can all be prepared well in advance. then cook in griddle pan or frying pan or grill until ham goes crispy. serve 3 pieces per person, drizzled with a bit of balsamic and olive oil.

can also do same with baby leeks, although might need to cook for slightly longer (never done it with leeks before)

open lasagne - quick easy and yummy.

make a simple tomato and basil sauce (tin of toms, handful of fresh basil, teaspoon of sugar) cut fresh lasagne pasta into strips, boil for 3 mins, pour over sauce cover with pamasan (sp), serve with a small salad and piece of garlic bread.

that sounds nice, HQ.

parma ham remdinded me of one my close friend does: torn parma ham, torn up mozzerella, figs, crushed walnuts, rocket & basalmic/ olive oil drizzled over the top (with salt & pepper) -- so yum.

Thank you!

OOh yes - asparagus and parma - love it! But have a feeling I've served that to them before! Oh they won't remember will they?!!!

Blinis+creme fraiche+smoked salmon+caviar

Or lumpfish roe depending on budget

ooohhh, here's one more:

spinach, pine nuts, soft goats cheese, red onion (very finely sliced), tomatoes, vinagrette and fresh rosemary. mmmmm

I'd probably go for light soup, just to get the taste buds going something like
like, your main course will balance out the spicy tasts from this.

OB - actually that salad sounds yummy too - just rip it all up and chuck in a dish - my kinda cooking!!! Thank you.

toast the pine nuts in a tray in the oven first

Strike a blow for the '70's -

saute button or a selection of mixed mushrooms in plenty of butter and garlic, slosh with white wine, reduce, slosh of double cream, reduce till gloopy, serve on sourdough toast with rocket salad.

leek and potato soup

this recipe is lovely and can be made the day before.

prawns in lemon and garlic.

prawns, several cloves garlic, juice of half a lemon, about 125 ml olive oil, salt and black pepper.

mix together the olive oil, crushed garlic, and the lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper, then marinade the prawns for at least an hour but the longer the better. Then line a grill with foil and place the prawns on it, pour over the marinade and grill for approx five minutes.

Place prawns into bowls, pour over the marinade and serve with french bread to mop up the sauce.

mmmmmmm

muscles steamed in white wine with onions and garlic also v good, with big hunks of french bread for the sauce.

am actually getting very hungry now.

Stop now please! I'm starving!!