My Husband and I did a trip to Greece a couple of months ago and etched in my memory are these amazing Canapes` that we had at a sensational restaurant in Old Town Mykonos. I will admit, I have added a few more ingredients to mine as their version was total Mediterranean simplicity but I felt I could lift it up a notch and put a little Em’s Food spin on them. I was deliriously happy that I did and I could honestly devour the whole plate by myself with a crisp glass of summery, dry white wine or a refreshing Gin cocktail……..or both. I’m not fussy.
You may find some of these ingredients hard to get but these days you can buy anything online. I found all of these ingredients at Harris Farm Markets. Click the link below:
https://www.harrisfarm.com.au/
Prep time: 20 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 1 of me and 4 of you
Two whole witlof, bottom cut and leaves gently peeled (I used the larger out leaves and saved the inner smaller leaves for a salad)
1/2 a small fennel bulb, finely shaved with a mandolin
1 packet of marinated white anchovy fillets
1 large Ruby Grapefruit
1 tsp of toasted pink peppercorns, lightly bashed in a mortar and pestle
Baby micro herbs or sprouts for garnish (you could use finely chopped parsley or dill)
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
To make the Canapes`:
Once you have peeled the witlof, place it in a large bowl of iced water to really crisp it up. Do the same with the shaved fennel and add a squeeze of lemon to stop it going brown.
To segment the grapefruit, slice off the top and bottom and then run your knife down the grapefruit, as close to the flesh as you can, removing all of the skin. Hold the grapefruit in your palm, over a bowl to catch the juice and use a small , sharp knife to cut between the segments so that you get nice, even little wedges. Squeeze all of the juice out of the leftover membrane part of the grapefruit, to drizzle over the Canapes` before serving.
To assemble, drain well and then arrange the witlof leaves in a circular fashion on a shallow serving platter (just like the photo). Drain the shaved fennel and place a small pile on each leaf before topping with an anchovy fillet. You may wish to halve the grapefruit segments, as i did and place a small piece on each leaf. Sprinkle over the toasted pink peppercorns and scatter over the baby herbs before drizzling with a little extra virgin olive oil and spooning over the ruby grapefruit juice. Serve immediately.