To the festive table. Recipes for a real man

Top 10 products that will always come in handy. Make sure you always have this supply on hand in case of unexpected guests.

• Bread (fresh - immediately on the table, and yesterday's bread can be used on toast or croutons).
• Dairy products (milk, yogurt, sour cream are useful for salads and baking).
• Eggs (a must-have ingredient for baking and batter. Or maybe a hungry guest will ask for scrambled eggs?).
• Flour (pancakes, pancakes, cheesecakes, muffins - the list of recipes is endless).
• Spaghetti (just change the sauce, and now a new dish is on the table).
• Canned fish (tuna, mackerel will go into salads or become a filling for unusual sandwiches).
• Cheese (they say you can eat anything with melted cheese).
• Canned tomatoes (they last much longer than fresh ones and make a savory snack on their own. They can also replace fresh tomatoes in salsa).
• Chicken or turkey fillet (cook no longer than 15 minutes, either on the grill, in the oven, or in a frying pan).
• Spices (where would we be without them?).

And now several options on how to quickly set the table.

Option one - sandwiches

It would seem like an ordinary snack, not even a dish. But if you approach sandwiches creatively, guests will be pleasantly surprised.

Canapes

Sandwiches on skewers are a must-have dish at any buffet table. They look festive and are easy to prepare. They can be made from anything, the main thing is the right combination of products.

Products: use cheese, sausage, olives, any vegetables, salted fish, pate. The basis for canapés can be dried bread, a slice of potato or cucumber. Apples, pears and grapes can be paired with cheese or made into a fruit snack.

Preparation: Thread 3-4 ingredients onto a skewer or toothpick and garnish with herbs. You can make ham and cheese rolls.

Hot sandwiches or bruschetta

If you need something more substantial, hot sandwiches will do. The simplest ones are with cheese. Almost everyone loves them. And sandwiches with a Mediterranean flavor - bruschetta.

Products: bread, cheese, olive oil, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, olives.

Preparation: Drizzle the bread with olive oil and place in the oven for five minutes. Place tomato salsa with herbs and garlic on a hot base (canned tomatoes are also suitable), garnish with herbs or olives, add spices - and a wonderful Spanish appetizer is ready!

French classic salad Salade de chèvre chaud

Despite the simple ingredients and ease of preparation, this is one of the most sophisticated salads. It is called legendary - most of those who come to the south of France consider it their duty to try this dish.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

• mix of lettuce leaves: arugula, romaine, chard
• salt, pepper - to taste
• olive oil - 3-4 tbsp. spoons
• lemon juice
• balsamic vinegar
• bread for toast - according to the number of people who will sit at the festive table
• goat cheese (such as Valence or Buche)
• chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
• vinegar 9% - 1 tbsp. spoon
• cereal-nut mixture - 1 tbsp. spoon of sesame seeds, pine nuts, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Step 1. Prepare poached eggs. Pour water into a wide saucepan, add vinegar, bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly so that the water bubbles up white (when small bubbles rise from the bottom of the pan). Break the egg into a small wide bowl, leaving the yolk intact. Using a whisk, make a funnel in the boiling water and carefully pour in the egg. Cook for about five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the second egg.

Step 2. Wash the salad leaves, dry them, sprinkle a little salt and sprinkle with lemon juice. Tear and place on a plate in which the salad will be served.

Step 3. Toast. Place slices of cheese about 1 cm thick on them and lightly melt in the oven.

Step 4. Fry the nut-sesame mixture in two tablespoons of oil, being careful not to burn.

Step 5. Drizzle the salad mix with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with the nut mixture, and add the poached egg cut into pieces. Place toast with baked goat cheese on top, pepper, sprinkle with lemon and balsamic vinegar.

If you add sliced ​​meat and vegetables, a cheese plate and fruit to these dishes, the table will turn out to be truly satisfying!

Option two - hot

While guests are satisfying their first hunger, it's time to whip up an Italian lunch. Mediterranean dishes are sophisticated, but at the same time quite simple.

Frittata

This is what they call a fluffy omelette with a variety of fillings in Italy.

Products: main ingredient - eggs (at the rate of 2-3 pieces per person). Add milk, cheese and everything that is in the refrigerator: vegetables, chicken or meat, cottage cheese, herbs.

Preparation: beat eggs with milk (as for a regular omelet), add cheese. In a deep frying pan, blanch the onion, vegetables and other ingredients in olive oil. Pour the egg mixture over it all, salt and pepper to taste.

When the omelette has already set at the edges, but is still semi-liquid in the middle, put the frying pan in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. The frittata will turn out fluffy.

Paste

The secret is in the sauce. Bolognese with minced meat and tomatoes or napoletana with tomatoes and basil are quickly prepared.

If you want to surprise your guests, prepare classic carbonara. Contrary to stereotypes, it is prepared without cream.

Products: pasta (Italians call them pasta), olive oil. For the sauce: eggs (for two - 1 whole and 2 yolks), bacon, hard cheese, salt, pepper.

Preparation: beat the eggs with a fork, add pepper, cheese, stir - the sauce is ready. Fry the bacon until slightly crispy. Boil the pasta and add to the pan with the bacon, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and pour in the sauce. Real Italian carbonara is ready.

But we weren’t expecting you, but you... come in, dear guests!

You relax on a weekend or after a hard day, sitting comfortably in front of the TV. In the refrigerator, of course, there is food on duty - the household will not go hungry. But then an unexpected call: “Darling, we are going to visit you - come here. We'll be there in an hour." Oh-oh - you can’t serve yesterday’s porridge with cutlets to your guests: you’re a good housewife and don’t want to “end up with your braids in the mud”!

What can you quickly prepare for unexpected guests? So, open the refrigerator: pasta or porridge, leftover boiled meat and sausage, eggs, cheese, mushrooms, vegetables. In the freezer there is chicken fillet or fish, in the cupboard there is a can of peas and corn. Yes, what of these ordinary products can you whip up and surprise your guests?

the appetizer first . You can prepare “Salted Raffaello” . Boil 2 eggs, meanwhile grate 1 processed cheese, 1 carrot, crush 5-7 walnuts. We also grate the boiled eggs and mix all the ingredients with mayonnaise, leaving a few nuts. We form balls, breading them in nuts (by the way, you can also put a piece of walnut in the middle), and place them on a dish. 15 minutes - and the original appetizer is ready!

In the summer, there are no problems with vegetable salads - tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, but in the cold season, when there is a lack of vitamins, you can offer “Motley Salad” . Take about 300 g of sauerkraut (almost every housewife has it in winter), put it in a salad bowl. Grate 1 apple on a coarse grater, 1 carrot on a fine grater, add an onion cut into thin half rings, half a can of green peas and 3 tablespoons of canned corn, salt and pepper, season with vegetable oil. A healthy and tasty salad in 10 minutes pleases the eyes and stomach!

Now for the hot dish . “Chicken fillet under a shirt” looks very impressive and cooks quickly . Cut 2-3 chicken fillets crosswise about 1 cm thick, beat them slightly and place them in a baking dish, having previously greased it with oil (however, if baking in the microwave, this is not necessary). Place thin onion half rings on the chicken, champignons, also thinly sliced, sprinkle with grated cheese. You can decorate the top with bell pepper slices (even from the freezer) or tomatoes (if you have them). Place in the oven or microwave for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Before serving, it is advisable to sprinkle with herbs - yummy! Tip - chicken can be successfully replaced with fish, for example, frozen pollock or cod, and cooked according to the same principle.

Next: remember, in the refrigerator we found a side dish - it doesn’t matter, pasta, rice or porridge? So: they may well become the basis of a beautiful hearty dish - the “Guests on the Doorstep” casserole . Place the side dish in a baking dish and top with the filling. It can be anything: leftover meat or ham, mushrooms, onions, and even yesterday’s cutlets, pre-cut. Then pour in 2-3 eggs, beaten with mayonnaise or sour cream, salt, pepper, sprinkle with grated cheese - and into the oven or microwave in the “combi-grill” mode. After 10-15 minutes, the ruddy, appetizing casserole can be served on the table, both as an original side dish and as a main dish.

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And if you suddenly find yesterday’s mashed potatoes, I advise you to prepare another delicious side dish “Potato bits with mushrooms” . Place the puree in a bowl, add an egg, a little flour, grated cheese and a drop of soda. Fry finely chopped mushrooms and onions, put them in potatoes. You can also send finely chopped boiled meat there - it will also be delicious. Pour breadcrumbs into a flat plate, spoon out the resulting mixture and form into balls. Fry on both sides in vegetable oil until crispy (about 1-2 minutes on each side). This side dish can also be safely served separately with sour cream - guests will not remain hungry!

And finally, dessert . The cake, of course, takes a long time. Let's prepare an airy “Charlotte with apples” . Cut two apples into small slices and place on the bottom of a mold greased with butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbs. By the way, you can add prunes and dried apricots - it will be even piquant. For the dough, mix with a mixer 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 3 eggs, half a spoonful of soda and salt, a pinch of vanilla. The result is the consistency of thick sour cream. Fill the apples with dough, sprinkle with cinnamon - and into the oven preheated to 220-250 degrees. The pie will be ready in 25-30 minutes - the main thing is to have time to place it before the guests arrive...

And here they are already! “Oh, my dear, what a gorgeous table! When did you manage to do this?”

Option three - something for tea

Or maybe the guest came in just for a cup of tea? Let's treat him to dessert! Sweets also don’t take long to prepare.

Pancakes

This simple delicacy can be served with sour cream, honey, jam or preserves. Here is the recipe for pancakes with seasoning.

Products: eggs, sugar, flour, kefir or sour cream. Apples, bananas, dried apricots or raisins are suitable for baking.

Preparation: knead the dough (as for regular pancakes) and add grated fruit. Don't forget to add baking powder or a pinch of soda to the dough.

Syrniki

If there is cottage cheese in the refrigerator, you will get cheesecakes. It would seem that they won’t surprise anyone, but even here there are secrets.

Products: the classic cheesecake recipe contains nothing but cottage cheese, flour, eggs and sugar.

Preparation: traditionally cheesecakes are fried in a frying pan. But if you put the dough in muffin tins, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in the oven, you get wonderful cottage cheese buns. Guests will definitely appreciate it!

Brownies in the microwave

Delicious chocolate cakes are prepared in just 10 minutes. And you don't need an oven.

Products: butter, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, eggs, flour.

Preparation: Stir melted butter with sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon, add eggs and flour and pour the dough into a greased glass microwave dish. Or you can cook it in portions, in ceramic cups. Be careful, the metal pattern may spark in the microwave.

The brownie takes only five minutes to cook on high, and you need to let the dish rest for another five minutes.

Photos used from the sites theattitudeadjustment.wordpress.com, vatel-nsk.ru, bigstockphoto.com, beautylook.pro, newpackfon.ru, tasterussian.com, photoree.com

Tiramisu dessert

Cooking time: 30 minutes

• mascarpone (room temperature) - 250 g
• Savoyardi cookies (or any biscuit) - 12-15 pcs.
• eggs - 2 pcs.
• powdered sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons
• vanilla extract - 0.5 teaspoons
• strong coffee - 100 ml
• alcohol (Marsala wine, Amaretto liqueur, rum or cognac) - 2 tbsp. spoons
• powdered sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons
• cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. spoons
• grated chocolate

Step 1. Separate the whites from the yolks (no whites will be needed). Heat the yolks in a water bath, add vanilla extract and grind with powdered sugar into a strong foam.

Step 2. In a bowl, mash the mascarpone with a fork and beat lightly. Add the yolks and a tablespoon of alcohol you have.

Step 3. In a flat bowl, mix coffee and remaining alcohol.

Step 4. Dip the cookies in coffee, place on the bottom of a martini or champagne glass, coat with cream, lightly sprinkle with cocoa powder. Then lay out another similar layer. Fill all the glasses to the top this way. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Place in the refrigerator.

Meat and potato pie

Meat and potato pie.
Photo: AiF/ Marina Mazhaeva Composition:

• ready-made puff pastry – 1 package (500 g)
• minced meat – 300 g
• potatoes – 3 pcs.
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• tomatoes – 3 pcs.
• onion – 1 pc.
• salt
• pepper
• vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the onion and sauté in vegetable oil until golden brown.

2. Add minced meat to it. Fry for 1-2 minutes, breaking up any lumps of minced meat.

3. Grate the potatoes on a coarse grater and squeeze out excess liquid.

4. Grind the tomatoes in a blender.

5. Add chopped vegetables to the minced meat, salt and pepper. Simmer until the moisture evaporates.

6. Roll out the dough into a rectangular layer. Spread the filling on it in a thin layer.

7. Roll into a tight roll and cut into portions. Place them with one of the cuts down, close to each other, in a round heat-resistant pan greased with vegetable oil.

8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C.