Call them Italian antipasto skewers or Spanish banderillas, these are deliciousness on a toothpick (a fancy toothpick if you have them) and probably one of the easiest tasks to delegate when you're prepping for a party.
Banderillas
Gherkins
Olives
Pickled jalapeno
Pickled onion
Roasted red peppers
Cubes of cheese
Anchovies
Salami
Pickled beets
Mini-bocconcini
Method
Set up a cutting board and crack open some jars of gherkins, olives, pickled jalapeno, pickled onion and roasted red peppers – you can assemble these (or your partner, best friend or best friend’s new boyfriend can) even as guests are arriving.
I made them last weekend and we didn’t just make them, we had to keep on making them – supply and demand at work.
There aren’t too many instructions other than trying to balance your flavours and textures – if you go really spicy with one flavour, try adding a sweet pickle or even something creamy such as a cube of cheese.
Have some paper towel handy to dry off a bit of the pickling liquids so that they don’t drip onto anyone’s clothing.
Lastly, when you slice and dice remember that these should be bite-size.
You can add anchovies, a wedge of salami, pickled beets or mini-bocconcini.