As great as barbecues are, it’s sometimes a bit of a puzzle to decide what to serve as a starter.

If it’s just the family, there’s no difficulty, but if you have company, it’s different, because you can’t have the poor host/chef slaving over the hot coals, turning the chicken, ribs or whatever while the assembled guests are tucking into their prawn cocktails. So, I favour something ‘on the hoof’.

An antipasto-style collection of help-yourself things are fine, but they require plates and cutlery (and washing up). Canapés are nice, but I think they are more suitable for Christmas cocktails rather than backyard barbecues, which need something a bit more substantial.

Spanish tapas usually need just a toothpick for spearing, so tiny albondigas or meatballs would be good.

So, too, would be empanadillas, or mini-pasties, filled with cheese and chorizo sausage, which can be eaten in two bites.

Both of these can be made in advance and kept warm.

Then there are dips, creamy, fiery or garlicy – almost anything can be turned into a dip.

I’ve chosen three (four, if you count the meatball dip), all of which can be made ahead, too.

None of them are written in tablets of stone, so add or subtract whatever you fancy. For dippers, there’s quite a variety: grissini, crackers, garlic bread, tortilla chips, galletti, pieces of pitta bread or sticks of vegetables like carrots, celery and peppers.

If you put all this out near the barbecue, the chef can join in and your guests will be able to offer him advice on his cooking skills.

I’m sure he’ll be grateful for their input, but remem-ber, chefs can be tempera-mental – and barbecue tools can be sharp!

You may have noticed last time that two of my tart recipes gave quantities of pastry that were regrettably much too small for the size of the baking tins used.

To avoid writing out the recipes for basic pastry umpteen times, I sometimes abbreviate them, as I have done in the past, so the one for the tuna quiche should have read ‘shortcrust pastry using 200g flour, etc’ (i.e. 200g flour and 100g butter) and not just ‘200g shortcrust pastry’, which is completely different.

Similarly, the smoked fish flan should have read ‘shortcrust pastry using 180g flour, etc.’ and not ‘180g pastry’.

Mini meatballs with sour cream dip

250g minced beef
250g minced pork
1 onion, chopped
4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg
3 tbsp cream
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground allspice
Large pinch dried red chilli flakes
Ground black pepper

For the dip:
120ml crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill, rosemary or parsley (or a mixture)

Put the meat, onions and breadcrumbs into a food processor, whiz until well-blended, then add the egg, cream, tomato paste, parsley, salt and spices, season well with black pepper and whiz again for a few seconds. Alternatively, mix it all in a large bowl using your hands.

Shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls and fry in batches in hot oil for about five minutes, turning them frequently so they brown evenly on all sides. Test one with a knife to make sure they are cooked through, then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.

To make the dip, put the crème fraîche into a small bowl, then stir in the herbs and season with black pepper. Pile the meatballs on a warm dish with the dip in the centre and serve. (Makes many)

Marion’s caponata

This recipe was given to me years ago by an American friend who, sadly, has long since left us for the great kitchen in the sky. Unlike some recipes, Marion never used capers, garlic or peppers in her caponata, and neither do I, but add them if you like.

1 aubergine, about 300g, cut into one-centimetre dice
Salt
Olive oil
1 stick celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
400g can chopped tomatoes, drained
30g chopped green olives
Ground black pepper

Put the aubergine in a colander, sprinkle it with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes, then rinse off the salt and pat the aubergine dry with kitchen paper.

Heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add the celery and onion and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a separate pan, add another two tablespoons of oil to the pan and stir in the aubergine. Cook, stirring and turning, for five minutes until lightly browned, then tip the aubergine on to the celery/onion mixture. Add the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes and olives, season well with black pepper, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Let the mixture cool, transfer it to a serving dish and chill until serving time.

Prawn and smoked salmon dip

Half a 250g tub mascarpone cheese
3 tbsp crème fraîche or natural yoghurt
3 tbsp mayonnaise
100g smoked salmon
100g cooked shelled prawns, roughly chopped
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
Salt and pepper
A few drops Tabasco or hot pepper sauce
Lemon juice
Extra chives to garnish

Beat the mascarpone, crème fraîche and mayonnaise together until light and fluffy. Finely chop the smoked salmon and stir it into the mascarpone mixture, together with the prawns and snipped chives.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, Tabasco sauce and lemon juice. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with extra chives. Cover with cling and chill. Serve with crackers.

Empanadillas

100g grated mozzarella cheese
60g spicy chorizo sausage, finely chopped
60g chopped pitted black olives
60g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tbsp shredded basil
Salt and pepper
300g puff pastry, defrosted if frozen
1 small egg, beaten

Put the first four ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Roll out the pastry quite thinly on a floured surface, then stamp out rounds using an eight-centimetre cookie cutter, then gather up and re-roll the trimmings to cut more rounds. Put a teaspoon of the cheese mixture on each round, brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, then bring two sides up over the filling and pinch the edges together, sealing them well.

Stand the pasties on a baking try and make a small slit on the top of each one. They can now be left in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC and brush the pasties with beaten egg.

Bake them for about 15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer them to a serving plate and serve warm. (Makes approximately 16 pasties)

Sweet and sour beetroot dip

4 small, raw beetroot
Olive oil
½ red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
30g sliced almonds
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Chopped red onion and thyme sprigs to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Scrub and dry the beetroot and rub them with olive oil, then wrap them in a sheet of foil.

Stand the foil parcel on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until the beetroot are tender when tested with a knife, then leave them wrapped in the foil to cool.

Peel the beetroot, cut them into chunks, then whiz them in a processor or blender with the onion, garlic, almonds, balsamic vinegar, thyme, sugar and four tablespoons of oil until finely chopped.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a little more oil if it seems too dry.

Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the chopped red onion and thyme sprigs. Cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.