Light starter for Christmas Day lunch?

tajna

how about parma ham and melon balls or mini bruschettas with chopped tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil and balsamico?

tryingtoruletheworld

Hmm, we never have a starter, we wouldn't stand a chance of getting through the mountains of Christmas dinner if we did!

Soup sounds like a nice idea, and very easy to prepare ahead of time. You could make some kind of tart, like goats cheese and caramelised onion (obviously no unpasturised cheese, although it would be easy just to use a different cheese on yours) as they freeze pretty well so you could make well in advance. Salmon baked in a herb butter would be pretty quick and easy to shove in the oven, although may be a bit pricey/filling unless you can get some smaller pieces.

Good luck, hope you get the Christmas present you want!

picklepick

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. I love the buschetta idea. That's a definite maybe.

I also love the salmon idea but I don't think our funds will stretch quite that far! Thanks though

gizmo111

stilton mushrooms

picklepick

Gizmo, I'd love that, but DH cant stand mushrooms. It's the only thing I've ever found that he won't eat! Thanks though x

ab7

realise it's an italian influence but how about slices of mozzerella and "good" tomatoes with a balsamic dressing? Garnish with basil and it lovely & simple looks like this
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/mozzarella/tomato-mozzarella-and-basil-salad.html

I just serve individually

Thrawn_Frugal_Lassie

Hi there,
We always have soup as a starter. One that went down really well, and very cheap and quick to make was the pea and mint soup.
chop up a couple of onions, a stick of celery and a carrot or two and slowly fry them until they're clear, put into a soup pot with some chicken or veg. stock, and a large bag of frozen (we use value) peas. Cook for about 20 mins, add a couple of teaspoons of mint sauce let it cook another 5 mins. Zuzz with a handheld blender. Very quick and cheap, and it can be made in advance and frozen.
hth

Stephen_Leak

gizmo111 wrote: »

stilton mushrooms

I was also going to suggest a big grilled mushroom with grated cheese each. But, put some finely chopped onion in the cup of the mushroom, when first grilling it.

However, there is a potential "show-stopper" with the choice of cheese.

Blue-veined cheese, like Danish Blue & Stilton, is not considered safe to eat when pregnant, except if it's thoroughly cooked and hot enough to kill any Listeria bacteria in them, and not just warm and melted.

Hard cheeses and soft cheeses without a white rind are considered safe, even when not cooked.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutrition/foodsafety/cheeseexpert/

beerqueen

I'm not sure what the current advice is re pregnancy but how about homemade pate? I seem to remember that liver is out (or was the last time I was pregnant!) but how about smoked mackerel pate - it's really easy, just blitz with creme fraiche - and you can add more creme fraiche for a less fishy flavour or less for more intense. The other thing that's really easy is buy a few different cold meats (brasaola, parma ham, etc) from aldi and arrange them nicely on a platter with salad, olives, sun dried tomatoes and anything else and serve with fancy bread. Prawns are always nice too and, as other people have suggested a nice soup is always tasty - and people are impressed (they don't realise how easy it is!)

Stephen_Leak

Liver in any form is off the menu when pregnant, or even trying to conceive. It contains very high levels of Vitamin A, and the body can store this for future use.

Oily fish, like mackerel, contains Vitamin A, but at safe levels. My only word of warning about smoked mackerel pate is to use unsalted butter. The first time I made some, I thought I knew better and used the normal, slightly salted stuff. It tasted like I'd emptied the salt cellar into it.

PS. Smoked fish pate can also be made with smoked haddock and kippers, which are smoked herring.