On a Stick!

I'm not sure I find the title of the book very appealing, but I suppose it does perfectly describe what lies within. Going beyond insipid party food that invariably clings to a short but sharp cocktail stick jabbed into a foil-covered grapefruit half, the recipes are are far more appetising. Drawing on cuisines from around the world and inspired by some of the most delicious street food, the 80 recipes for things on sticks are inspiring and dare I say, a little more sophisticated than a cube of cheese bedecked with a meagre piece of pineapple.

Savouries are good enough for the best of parties and many would add interest to a barbecue. The Bacon-wrapped Shrimp with a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce looks particularly mouthwatering as does the Bó Lá Lôt, betel leaves stuffed with ground beef, spiced with lemongrass, ginger, chilli and five-spice.
Not only are there meaty mouthfuls but several vegetarian based options too. There are several takes on traditional foods which have been given a new twist for your amusement with Fish and Chips, Pizza Skewers and Spaghetti and Meatballs being no exception.

Of course the stick itself plays a very important part in the presentation of the food, as the page near the front of the book demonstrates. Laid out in an almost surgical fashion, there is everything from your usual bamboo or metal skewer to a rosemary stalk or a stick of sugar cane.
Dipping sauces get their own section too as they play an integral part in spicing up, adding zing or mellowing the various impaled delights.

If you want to take your sticks to the next course, you'll find recipes for desserts too, from the simple yet scrumptious Mango and Chilli Powder to the downright daftly named Frozen Elvis – don't ask!

On A Stick! by Matt Armendariz is published by Quirk Books in paperback.

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Book kindly supplied by Mat Archer from PGUK