Does this scenario sound familiar? You invite friends over for a spontaneous happy hour on the patio. Your friends arrive, the wine flows, as does the conversation. An absolutely perfect situation except for one important detail—you forgot the appetizers for the inevitable snack attack. Wait! Before hanging your head in shame and sending everyone home, check out our tips for pulling together simple, delicious appetizers in no time. If you have a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil on hand (and we know you do), plus a few basic items, appetizers are a cinch to pull together on a dime.
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus: These can leave your fingers a bit messy so be sure to have some cocktail napkins ready! This is a hot item that goes quickly at parties and has everyone asking, “how do you make this?!” Simply take some fresh asparagus and trim them. Then wrap them in prosciutto you have sliced thinly at the deli. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, and either grill in the summer or roast in the winter. Put them in at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.
Hummus With “Semi-Homemade” Pita Chips: This is a simple and yet such a delicious recipe! Simply start off by buying your favorite hummus and regular pitas. Each one makes about 8 chips so do the math for your party. Then get either some nice olive tapenade or a selection of yummy olives from the olive bar. At home cut the pitas into triangles. Brush with quality olive oil. Put on a baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes until warm and just verging on crispy. Then enjoy!
Olive Oil Popcorn: Who doesn’t love a bowl of hot, seasoned popcorn? Really, it’s the great unifier. What’s more, you can make popcorn on the stovetop in less than five minutes. Drizzle with a vibrant olive oil and toss with salt, pepper, or other tasty toppings. Endless possibilities.
Dipping Sauce with Bread: Happen to have a loaf of fresh bread in the pantry, or a bakery around the corner? Toss that bread in the toaster oven for few minutes while you throw together this tasty dipping sauce using garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and parsley.