Snacks and Light Meals from Trevor Hopkins (email)
Bay Shore Toasties	Tuna Pancakes
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I have included here a few suggestions for light meals and snacks - perhaps for a light lunch, or a cooked supper.

Bar Snacks and Nibbles have now moved to their own page.

Bay Shore Toasties [ top ]

This is a delicious light snack, for lunch perhaps, or can make an excellent starter for a more substantial meal. The trick is to get the best crab meat you can find, although even processed crab paste (in jars) will do at a pinch. Get the grill really nice and hot. Take four crumpets and toast them on the reverse side until they are well browned and quite firm to the touch. (This prevents the warm butter from draining out of the bottom!) Turn over the crumpets and toast for a minute or so on the upper (holey) side. Butter each hot crumpet, then spread a tablespoon of crab meat (white or brown meat, or a mixture, is fine) on each one. Top with grated cheese and finish with freshly-ground black pepper and (optionally) a dash of paprika (for added colour and flavour).

Ingredients (Serves 4, as a starter, or 2, as a snack) Four crumpets Four teaspoons of butter Four tablespoons of crab meat One ounce of grated cheese Freshly-ground black pepper Dash of paprika (optional)

Put the crumpets back under the grill for another few minutes, until the cheese is all melted and bubbling. Serve immediately, perhaps garnished with parsley.

Tuna Pancakes (with Sweetcorn) [ top ]

This is a really quick and tasty snack which can be made from the contents of the store cupboard. Pancake Batter First make the batter. Put 4 ounces of plain flour in a food processor, add a pinch of salt and a knob of butter, and then break an egg on the top. Pour in 5 fluid ounces of milk. Process for twenty seconds; you should get a smooth thick paste. Pour in another 5 fluid ounces of milk, then process for another thirty seconds. You should have a smooth batter. Leave for a few minutes before cooking. Put an ounce of frozen sweetcorn in a microwave-proof dish and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Microwave on full power for three minutes or until the corn is cooked through. Drain thoroughly. (Tinned sweetcorn can be used as an alternative.) Open and drain a small tin of tuna (about 150 grams drained weight). Tip the fish into a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise. Grind a little black pepper over the top and then stir well. Process the batter one more time then pour into a jug. This makes it easier to pour into the frying pan.

Ingredients (Serves 4, as a starter, or 2, as a snack) Four ounces of plain flour One tablespoon of butter One egg Half a pint of milk Pinch of salt One ounce of frozen sweetcorn (or, a small can of sweetcorn) One tin of tuna Two tablespoons of mayonnaise Freshly-ground black pepper Two ounces of grated cheese

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large heavy-based frying pan, tipping the pan so that the oil entirely covers the surface. When the oil is really hot, pour enough batter into the pan to entirely cover the surface in a thin layer, tipping the pan again to make sure the batter is nicely spread out. Sprinkle half of the sweencorn over the pancake.

Cook the pancake until it will slide about the pan easily, then flip it over. Try not to get it stuck to the ceiling! Sprinkle an ounce of cheese over the cooked surface - it will melt while the other side of the pancake is cooked.

Slide the cooked pancake onto a plate. Spoon half of the tuna and mayo mix over the surface, fold in half and serve to your companion. Then repeat the whole process again to cook your own.

There will probably be enough batter left over for a sweet pancake to follow. Just make the pancake without sweetcorn or cheese, and serve simply with a sprinkling of sugar and the juice of a wedge of lemon.

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Last updated 22 February 2010