CROSTINI TOPPED WITH LIVER AND OLIVES

This delicious recipe from Umbria makes and an unusually flavoured canapé for Christmas aperitifs. Make in some quantity for parties and if you have any left over you can freeze it for use another day. Use a medium style Umbrian extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
knob of butter
Umbrian extra virgin olive oil
500g chicken, turkey or veal liver, cut into thin slices
handful of sage leaves
salt and pepper
glass dry white wine
black olives, stoned and finely chopped
slices of country bread, toasted or lightly fried

Method:
Lightly brown the garlic in butter and oil and remove from the pan. Add the liver and cook quickly on each side. Add the sage, seasoning and wine. When the wine has evaporated, remove the liver from the pan and finely chop. Mix with the olives and use, tepid or cold, to spread onto the prepared slices of bread.

BRUSSEL SPROUT SALAD

Here is a different use for this popular Christmas vegetable. It comes from an inventive home cook in the British midlands who is mad about Greek olive oil. Serve in a winter buffet or as a side dish with Greek Mousaka.

Ingredients:
150g Brussel sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
12 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
12 cooked chestnuts, peeled and sliced
½ small cucumber, finely chopped
freshly chopped parsley
Dressing:
75ml Greek extra virgin olive oil
25 ml fresh lemon juice
teaspoon grainy mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Next mix the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss well together.

SPANISH MARINATED SALMON

This interesting dish from Spain is just the antidote to all the riches of Christmas. Choose a good Catalonian oil pressed from the Arbequina olive. It can be made well in advance as the dish will keep in the fridge for at least a week provided that the fish is well covered by the marinade.

Ingredients:
4-6 salmon steaks
salt and pepper
1 carrot
1 leek
1 piece of celery
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
peppercorns
2 cloves
16 fl oz Catalonian extra virgin olive oil
4 fl oz white wine vinegar
4 fl oz fish stock
chives

Method:
Wash the salmon and remove the scales. Season with salt and pepper and leave to drain.
Wash the vegetables and cut into julienne strips. Place in a large earthernware dish with the unpeeled garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and cloves. Coverwith the oil, vinegar and stock and bring to the boil. When it has boiled for five minutes, carefully add the salmon steaks. Bring back to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool.