Starters

The old-fashioned word 'hors d'oeuvre' has been replaced by another - starter. But there is another word for both and that is appetiser - something that arouses the appetite.

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Lobster and Coconut Soup

Here we’ve got a ready-made soup as a backdrop – so no initial work needed, just a little tinkering around ...

Here we’ve got a ready-made soup as a backdrop – so no initial work needed, just a little tinkering around with some other very fine ingredients, which puts it in a di...

10 minutes

to cook

Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic

Serve these mushrooms with the pungent garlic and smoked pimentón mayonnaise and some bread for dipping – w...

Serve these mushrooms with the pungent garlic and smoked pimentón mayonnaise and some bread for dipping – wonderful! The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to p...

Vegetarian

Pan-roasted Italian Onions

I first tasted this at one of my favourite London restaurants, Le Caprice, and loved it so much I asked for...

I first tasted this at one of my favourite London restaurants, Le Caprice, and loved it so much I asked for the recipe, which the chefs Mark Hix and Tim Hughes very ki...

Pancake Cannelloni with Spinach

Pancakes make brilliant cannelloni - lighter, I think, than pasta. The cannelloni can also be serv...

Pancakes make brilliant cannelloni - lighter, I think, than pasta. The cannelloni can also be served as a starter in individual heatproof gratin dishes with t...

25 minutes - 30 minutes

to cook

Vegetarian

Parma Ham, Fig and Gorgonzola Magic Tarts

These are so named because they are such a breeze: no making pastry, no rolling out, no lining tins – nothi...

These are so named because they are such a breeze: no making pastry, no rolling out, no lining tins – nothing but the thinnest ready-rolled rounds of melt-in-the-mouth...

15 minutes - 20 minutes

to cook

Piedmont Roasted Peppers

This recipe is quite simply stunning: hard to imagine how something so easily prepared can taste so good. ...

This recipe is quite simply stunning: hard to imagine how something so easily prepared can taste so good. Its history is colourful too. It was first discovere...

50 minutes - 1 hour

to cook

Prawn Cocktail

This recipe is part of my 1960s revival menu. In those days it used to be something simple but really lu...

This recipe is part of my 1960s revival menu. In those days it used to be something simple but really luscious, yet over the years it has suffered from some very po...

Rillettes de Tours

This is famous around the Loire district of France and sold everywhere in charcuteries – sometimes in thick...

This is famous around the Loire district of France and sold everywhere in charcuteries – sometimes in thick chunks from a large terrine or packed into little pots. ...

Rillettes of Duck with Confit of Cranberries

This is one of my favourite starters: a terrine of tiny shreds of tender, succulent duck melded together li...

This is one of my favourite starters: a terrine of tiny shreds of tender, succulent duck melded together like a pâté, then served with the dazzling depth of colour and...

Tiger Prawns in Garlic Butter

This is an amazingly good first course for garlic lovers and needs lots of really crusty baguette to mop up...

This is an amazingly good first course for garlic lovers and needs lots of really crusty baguette to mop up all the delicious juices (you could even make your own bagu...

5 minutes - 7 minutes

to cook

Roasted Figs

This may sound like an unlikely combination but it's simply brilliant – a first course that's fast, unusual...

This may sound like an unlikely combination but it's simply brilliant – a first course that's fast, unusual and absolutely no trouble to prepare. The Delia Online C...

7 minutes - 8 minutes

to cook

Roasted Tomato Salad

If you are a tomato addict, like me, and you think that good bread dipped into fruity olive oil and tomato ...

If you are a tomato addict, like me, and you think that good bread dipped into fruity olive oil and tomato juices is the food of the gods, then roast the tomatoes firs...

50 minutes - 1 hour

to cook

Vegetarian

Roquefort and Potato Scones with Sage

I have been making these delicious cheese rolls with Roquefort. Not obviously a Christmas recipe perhaps...

I have been making these delicious cheese rolls with Roquefort. Not obviously a Christmas recipe perhaps but perfect to go with soup at a Christmas dinner party; or...

35 minutes - 40 minutes

to cook

Vegetarian

Scallops in the Shell

Fresh scallops are very plump and good around Christmas time, and this is my own favourite way of serving t...

Fresh scallops are very plump and good around Christmas time, and this is my own favourite way of serving them. The recipe has the advantage of requiring no last-mi...

Smoked Mackerel Pate

Quite simply the easiest pâté I've ever made. All the ingredients are placed together in the bowl of the...

Quite simply the easiest pâté I've ever made. All the ingredients are placed together in the bowl of the processor, then one little whiz and it's made! It also has ...

Roast Parsnip Chunks

‘Never dig parsnips until there’s been a good hard ground frost.’ That emphatic statement was instilled ...

‘Never dig parsnips until there’s been a good hard ground frost.’ That emphatic statement was instilled in me as a child by my grandfather and I now know he was rig...

30 minutes

to cook

Thai Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce

If you have some Thai Red Curry Paste to hand, these little fish cakes make a wonderfully different first c...

If you have some Thai Red Curry Paste to hand, these little fish cakes make a wonderfully different first course, especially if the rest of the meal has a spicy theme....

2 minutes

to cook

Thai Fish Cakes with Sesame and Lime

The ingredients list for these noble little Thai-inspired fishcakes looks very long but the good thing is t...

The ingredients list for these noble little Thai-inspired fishcakes looks very long but the good thing is they can be made and cooked with incredible speed. Serve t...

Thai Beef Salad

This recipe was given to me by chef Norbert Kostner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok when I visite...

This recipe was given to me by chef Norbert Kostner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok when I visited the cookery school there. It's lovely served as a first...

Toasted Goats' Cheese

Toasted goats' cheese became very fashionable in the 1990s, and not surprisingly, as it's still a supremely...

Toasted goats' cheese became very fashionable in the 1990s, and not surprisingly, as it's still a supremely good way to enjoy good goats' cheese just on the point of m...

Vegetarian

Vietnamese Beef Patties

Supper for two? Go to the Far East, or at least bring it into your kitchen with these brilliant little p...

Supper for two? Go to the Far East, or at least bring it into your kitchen with these brilliant little patties. It has to be said they also work just as well with m...

6 minutes

to cook

Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

The real cheat element here is that it’s mega-fast to prepare but looks as though it took an age! NOTE: ...

The real cheat element here is that it’s mega-fast to prepare but looks as though it took an age! NOTE: This recipe is from the book Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking...

Vitello Tonnato

This famous Italian classic is served cold. It's perfect in summer for a buffet, served with tiny new po...

This famous Italian classic is served cold. It's perfect in summer for a buffet, served with tiny new potatoes and a lemony, green salad. The Delia Online Cooker...

Blinis with Smoked Salmon

These have been adapted from the Russian version, so there are no special ingredients needed. Potato mak...

These have been adapted from the Russian version, so there are no special ingredients needed. Potato makes them lighter and has a wonderful affinity with smoked sal...

Starters

Lobster and Coconut Soup

Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic

Pan-roasted Italian Onions

Pancake Cannelloni with Spinach

Parma Ham, Fig and Gorgonzola Magic Tarts

Piedmont Roasted Peppers

Prawn Cocktail

Rillettes de Tours

Rillettes of Duck with Confit of Cranberries

Tiger Prawns in Garlic Butter

Roasted Figs

Roasted Tomato Salad

Roquefort and Potato Scones with Sage

Scallops in the Shell

Smoked Mackerel Pate

Roast Parsnip Chunks

Thai Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce

Thai Fish Cakes with Sesame and Lime

Thai Beef Salad

Toasted Goats' Cheese

Vietnamese Beef Patties

Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

Vitello Tonnato

Blinis with Smoked Salmon

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