12 easy-to-make, flavorful appetizers

The doorbell rings and the door opens. Your friends have arrived. Between all of you, you have arranged to make the typical snack dinner, and for a moment you are flooded by that advertising spot for that well-known French cheese brand. You wonder if your dinner will resemble, even a little, the very chic dinner in the ad.

Darling, it seems that the picture differs a bit. Manuel, your friend from elementary school, has brought only some potato chips and five cans of beer. Jimena brought hummus and guacamole from the supermarket, with some sad breadsticks. You still have hope with María, the most cooks of the group, but an omelette comes out of her tote bag precooked packaged, the kind you could use to drive a nail or to throw your dog in mode frisbee.

Oh, and not forgetting the pizzas! This dish you put it, and although you wanted to work it out, the last minute delivery on Fridays has left you breathless. You have ended up taking those pizzas that you had to the freezer. It seems that today, not only will you be left a little hungry, but the food will not shine too much in terms of flavor either.

Don't worry, friendship is the most important thing, but there is nothing better than sharing a good table with your loved ones. And it is that when good cuisine meets friendship, the night can become something precious. This article is aimed at those who want to encourage themselves to cook some good appetizers.

• We recommend you read: "14 healthy and easy to prepare vegetarian recipes"

The 12 appetizer recipes that will lead you to enjoyment

Very successful and easy to prepare, we tell you some recipes so you can prepare some yummy appetizers.

1. Gorgonzola cream with celery sticks

Gorgonzola cheese is a delight for the senses and with this easy cream you will not only surprise the most exquisite palates, but it is prepared in the blink of an eye. We recommend using a good yogurt, of those very creamy that melt in your mouth.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 125 g gorgonzola cheese
• 1 creamy yogurt
• 1 celery

Choose the whitest and most tender celery sticks and cut them into 5-centimeter-long pieces (or about 3-4 fingers). The most experienced cooks can cut them into a cross shape and add a dash of creativity to the matter. Leave the celery sprigs for half an hour in cold water with ice to make them more crisp and drain just before serving. Mix the yogurt and gorgonzola cheese in a bowl, emphasizing that everything is perfectly mashed to obtain a very fine paste.

2. Ajoblanco with pine nuts

It is a very refreshing soup ideal to awaken the appetite that fits perfectly before a good salad. We recommend using mineral water for better taste and fineness control.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 125 g raw pine nuts
• 3 ml of white wine vinegar
• 100 ml of mild virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bread crumb
• 100 ml milk
• a pinch of salt
• 750 ml cold mineral water
• 10 peeled seedless white grapes

Crush the garlic, oil, breadcrumbs (previously soaked in milk), a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar. If you have a blender, you can make use of this one. As the blender is grinding the ingredients, add the mineral water little by little so that the soup is well blended. Pass the soup through a strainer and rectify the point of salt and vinegar if you find it necessary. Put the soup in the fridge to cool it down. We recommend serving it accompanied by peeled grapes and a few drops of olive oil on top.

3. Smoked salmon rolls on a bed of salad

Some elaborate packets of salmon filled with yogurt that not even Pablo Escobar himself. This time, blood-free and placed on crisp salad floors.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 10 thin slices of salmon
• ½ red lettuce
• ½ green lettuce
• ½ red cabbage
• ¼ cabbage very tender (its white part)
• 1 creamy yogurt
• 100 g mayonnaise
• 1 small spring onion
• chopped chives
• dill tips
• parsley leaves

Take the salmon slices and cut their edges to create totally square slices. We will take advantage of the excess edges to make some strips that will help us to better hold the salmon packages. Clean the different types of cabbage and lettuce and cut everything into strips. Chop or very finely chop the chives, chives, dill, and parsley leaves. Prepare the sauce that will fill the salmon: mix the yogurt with the mayonnaise and add the fresh herbs that you cut in the previous step. Pack the filling with the salmon sheets as if you were wrapping gifts. You can use the leftover strips from the first step to make everything tighter. Place the salmon packets on top of the coleslaw and lettuce, and drizzle the white sauce on top.

4. Raisin bread with fresh figs and Iberian ham

The sweetness of the figs combines perfectly with the Iberian ham. A very simple but delicious aperitif thanks to its quality products. You can use the whole wheat bread that you like the most. We also love rye bread.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 10 small slices of raisin bread
• 3 ripe figs
• Iberian Ham

Lightly toast the loaves of bread with raisins, making them well toasted around the edges and tender in the middle. Peel the figs and cut them into 4 parts. Put a piece of fig on each loaf of bread and add good Iberian ham, of the one that melts in the mouth.

5. Savory honey and spice muffins

Straddling the sweet and the salty, these muffins are the most attractive. You can substitute butter for black olive puree and if you are gluten intolerant, they can be made with other types of flours.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 5 eggs
• 125g sugar
• a pinch of salt
• pink pepper
• cilantro
• green cardamom
• 225 g of sifted flour
• 6 g yeast
• 225 g of melted butter
• 50 g of honey
• coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 220ºC and distribute the muffin molds on a baking sheet. Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt. When it has doubled its volume, add the flour all mixing gently and all the powdered spices. Add the honey and butter to the mixture. It is important that the melted butter has cooled a bit before, so do not add it directly after removing it from the microwave. Fill mol parts of the molds with the dough and bake them for 5 minutes at 210ºC. Serve them cold and sprinkle with coarse salt on top like a true master.

6. Carrot and orange soup

Under the lyrics of ‘‘ Take vitamins when you fall in love ”, the musical group La Fiesta, spoke to us about the importance of ingesting vitamins. Carrots are very rich in vitamin A and oranges, in vitamin C. The most daring can try adding a few drops of cointreau to further flavor this fresh soup. And if you suffer from lovesickness, this soup will cure you (or not).

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 1 kg of carrots
• 2 oranges
• 1 natural yogurt
• 50 ml olive oil
• mint leaves
• Salt

Clean the carrots and put them in the blender. Squeeze the oranges to make juice. Mix the carrot juice with the orange juice and the yogurt. Add a pinch of salt and the olive oil. Grind it well and pass it through a strainer. Let the soup cool in the refrigerator. You can serve it in small glasses with a little chopped mint on top.

7. Puff pastry with goat cheese and honey

There is nothing softer than puff pastry and nothing sweeter than honey. You will feel in heaven every time you take a bite of this delicious appetizer.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 150 grams of puff pastry
• 150 grams of goat cheese
• honey
• walnuts

Roll out the puff pastry on a smooth surface with a little flour until it is very fine. Cut the dough into rectangles and put them on an oven-safe tray and bake them at 200 ºC with another small baking tray on top. When they are golden, you can take them out. To serve, put a piece of cheese on top of each puff pastry and put a little heat over it with a kitchen torch. Finally garnish with a walnut and a drop of honey.

8. Salted peanut financier

Rest assured, financiers are not finance men with peanuts in their pockets. Just the opposite: they are small French cakes that are usually made with almonds and with less egg. This recipe offers the salty version, all substituting the almond for the peanut.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 150 g icing sugar
• 75 g salted peanuts
• 60 g of sifted flour
• 150g butter
• 120 g egg white
• a pinch of salt

Melt the butter over a low and low heat until it begins to toast, acquiring a hazel brown color and allow it to warm. Crush the peanuts to a powder, all getting a floury texture, and mix them with the icing sugar and flour. Add the egg whites and when everything is well mixed, add the melted butter. Stir very well and add a pinch of salt. Fill papel of the paper molds (they should be rectangular) and bake for 3 to 4 minutes.

9. Chicken skewers with prawns

The sea and the mountains united in a single skewer.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 1 chicken breast
• 10 medium prawns
• Salt
• 10 ml olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• chopped chives

Cut the chicken into cubes and peel the prawns all reserving their heads. Assemble the skewers interspersing the chicken with the prawns. For the sauce, pass the minced garlic and the prawn heads in a paella with hot oil. When it is half cooked, remove everything and carve the heads of the prawns. Pass it through a strainer and collect the liquid. Cook the skewers in a paella or a grill. Serve the skewers with a splash of sauce and add the chives.

10. Roasted peaches with aged cheese

A very original mix that will not leave you indifferent.

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of whole wheat bread
• 2 peaches
• 50g butter
• 20 g of brown sugar
• 100 g of cured cheese

Peel the peaches and cut them in half. Brush them with a little butter and sugar. Roast them for half an hour in the oven at a temperature of 160ºC until they are very soft. Toast the sliced ​​bread and cut it into 4 portions. Put a little peach on each slice of bread and add a thin layer of aged cheese on top.

11. Quinoa and fresh cheese salad

Quinoa was part of the diet of the Incas and today it is still cultivated in the Andes. Has a high protein index and it's the latest dinner hit on the modern scene.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 150 g quinoa
• 150 g of fresh cheese
• dried tomato confit
• 1 handful of walnuts
• Salt
• mix of species

Run the quinoa under the tap to remove the saponin. Cook the quinoa with 450 ml of water for 12 to 14 minutes over low heat. Cut the fresh cheese and the confit dried tomato. Mix the cheese, tomato and quinoa with a little salt and oil. Add the species that you like the most and that's it.

12. Beetroot soup with aromatic herbs

Continuing with the "modern", we present you a most colorful soup with coconut milk. Quick and light, this soup will appeal to you even if you're not a big fan of beets.

Ingredients (for 10 people):

• 400 g of beets
• 300 g carrot
• 100 g parsnip
• 1 large onion
• 800 ml of vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• coconut milk
• a few branches of dried rosemary
• a few branches of thyme
• Salt

Preheat the oven to about 200ºC. Chop the vegetables and put them on a baking tray with oil, a little salt and the spices (rosemary and thyme). Grill them for about 10 minutes, flip them over and continue. Leave them for 10 to 15 more minutes. The vegetables should be tender and golden. Heat the vegetable broth and put it in the blender. Next, add the vegetables and beat until you get a cream. Don't forget to add a little oil and salt to the mix. Serve the soup with a little coconut milk on top. If you want, you can add a little fresh dill.