I'll stick with these cocktail sticks

Last weekend was wild. Had thrown a beer party for all my managers, and it was meant to be a nice quiet evening to get together and unwind with the lot. The plan was to meet early at my place and wrap up the evening by 12 in the night, so that I could hit the golf course the next day. But then plans are plans. It started off well, but then the list kept growing. People kept on pouring in, apart from my managers, a lot of other managers from support functions dropped in, and then some ex- managers who had moved to greener pastures dropped in. Cases of beer got emptied and people made desperate attempts to get in some more. Food that was made for 10, had to be remade to accommodate another 10. By the time the bash ended, it was 6 in the morning, I was staring at 3 crates of empty beer, some other ancillary bottles of scotch, broken glasses ( included one from my prized Baccarat set) and lots of empty plates. And Yes, not a morsel of food was to be found. Thankfully, the rooms are all soundproof, so my spouse didn't notice the commotion throughout the night, till she saw the mess the next day.

Guys parties needs some essentials apart from the beer, that is things to munch on. I always, and always bank on evergreen kababs & tikkas apart from some nice grilled snacks, munchies and yes cocktail sticks. They are colorful, go well with beer and can be really made in different assortments.

Mushrooms- Cheese - Pineapple Trio

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 500 gms
Cheese Cubes ( I tried the masala ones) - 6 cubes
Pineapple - 1, cut into cubes
Green Bell Peppers ( Capsicum) - 2
Mini Skewers or toothpicks

For the mushroom:
Ginger paste - 15 gm
Garlic paste - 15 gm
Onion paste - 2 Tblsp
Soy Sauce - 4 Tblsp
Red Chili paste - 2 Tblsp
Vinegar - 2 Tblsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 Tblsp

For the Pineapple:
Rum - 30 ml
Castor Sugar - 1 Tsp

Method: Pre-Preparation:
1. Cut out the stalks from the mushrooms.
2. Cut the cheese cubes into smaller cubes, as large or small as the mushrooms
3. Blanch Bell Peppers and cut into dices.
To Prepare Mushrooms:
1. Heat oil into wok. Add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a minute.
2. Add in the onion paste. Fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Add in the mushrooms. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add in the red chilli paste, vinegar and soy sauce alongwith the salt.
5. Toss well on high flame till mushrooms are done and gravy has dried up.
To Prepare Pineapple:
1. Heat a pan and add in the pineapple cubes.
2. Sprinkle the sugar on top and toss.
3. Once the sugar coated dices start to caramelize add in the rum.
4. Flambe. Remove after a minute.
To Assemble:
1. Take a skewer/ toothpick. Skewer the Bell Pepper dice, followed by the Mushroom. Then add in the cheese cube and finally the pineapple cube.
2. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Posted in: Appetizer,Bites,Mushrooms,pineapple,snack