Appetisers to ring in the New Year

RESEARCHING food trends for 2025 puts my head in a tizzy: each site has its own list with hardly any overlap, from hot chilli sauces, to dumplings of any kind.

Silly and messy cakes to anti-inflammatory diets, sour flavours from pickle juice as a main ingredient to pickles, tropical fruits, Japanese Yuzu which is not a newcomer), will go mainstream, to Korean ready-to-eat foods.

Hot and sour seem to be the underlying flavours to look out for, from savoury to sweet – the more intense the better.

That said, it’s pretty challenging to incorporate those flavours into our everyday meals, and with the advent of the online media onslaught anything can be trending. Remember, earlier this year, "cucumber guy" made a video about cucumbers on TikTok, it became viral and then cucumbers trended in the online food world.

In other words, we could have innumerable food trends: it all depends on the algorithms. I find this quite funny and alarming at the same time.

We can choose to go with the social media flow, or we can choose to be wise and simple about our food choices for 2025.

I anticipate food prices may rise again, hopefully marginally, so it would be better to shop smarter.

As I always preach buy local, buy seasonal produce, and try and get to the markets a few times a month if possible. Remember, markets cut out the middleman, and your produce is always fresher, from the farm to your table.

Be healthier: choose better oils to cook with, use olive oil for dressings and coconut oil to cook and avoid seed oils like grapeseed, corn, safflower, sunflower, soya bean and canola. Incorporate more whole grains and fibre. By all means indulge but with moderation. Exercise, stay hydrated and remember to smile!

God's blessings for good health and prosperity to all my readers.

Here are some delicious appetisers for you to ring in the New Year with!

Mini arepas

2 cups corn meal

1 cup flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ cup butter

1 tsp brown sugar

water to knead

Combine all the dry ingredients, add butter and rub into mixture, add enough warm water to make a soft dough.

Divide into 16 pieces, cover with a wet tea towel.

Filling

2 tbs vegetable oil.

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ hot pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 pimento peppers, chopped

1 lb beef, ground

1 cup chopped fresh herbs, chives, thyme, celery, parsley

2 slices bread crumbled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in frying pan, garlic, pepper and onion, sauté until tender about 4 minutes, add beef cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. add herbs

Add a little water or broth to moisten if necessary.

If beef seems lumpy put it into your food processor bowl and process for 30 secs, just until fine.

Add crumbled bread and combine,

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Cool filling.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Form dough into balls, press to about 3 inch widths, fill, fold to a half moon shape and place on a lined baking sheet.

Brush arepas with oil and bake for 20 minutes.

cool on racks.

Makes about 32.

You may also fry these arepas.

Seafood cheesecake

For the crust:

¾ cup Crix multigrain crackers, crushed

4 tbs melted butter

For the filling:

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ lb cooked crab meat or cooked shrimp or both

⅓ cup sliced chives

⅓ cup mixed fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, basil, chadon beni)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp pepper sauce

1 cup sour cream or yoghurt

salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.

Make crust by processing crumbs to a fine consistency and adding butter.

Combine then press into a bottom of an 8 inch spring form cheesecake pan.

Bake for 5 mins, remove and refrigerate.

In a mixer bowl cream cheese until smooth, add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.

Add flour and combine, fold in seafood, chives, herbs, garlic, pepper and salt and black pepper.

Fold in sour cream.

Pour into prepared crust and bake for about 45 to 50 mins until firm and lightly browned.

Refrigerate until chilled and serve with crackers.

Makes 1- 8 inch cake

Trinitario cocoa brownies

1 cup/8ozs unsalted butter

2¼ cup brown sugar

1½ cups unsweetened Trinidad cocoa

4 eggs, large

1 tsp vanilla or grated tonka

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat to 350F.

Line a 13x9x2-inch pan with parchment paper (bring parchment up sides of pan so there is a slight overhang).

Melt the butter in a heavy medium sized saucepan.

Stir in cocoa powder and sugar, remove from heat.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, stir in vanilla or tonka.

Combine flour with salt and walnuts.

Add eggs to chocolate mixture and stir vigorously, add flour and stir gently to incorporate.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the top has formed a shiny crust and the batter is moderately firm.

Cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Cut into squares.

Makes 24, 2-inch brownies