You absolutely cannot go wrong with this ploughman’s platter when entertaining outside.It caters for a variety of people and can be served as a starter or as a platter with cocktails. If you feel like cooking, you can follow these recipes, but if you are pressed for time you can buy ready-made products and throw them together on your beautiful @home plates and bowls – your guests will never know 😉

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

For the Olive, Rosemary and Sea Salt Ciabatta:

15ml (3 tsp) instant yeast

5ml (1 tsp) sugar

300ml lukewarm water

1000ml (4 cups) bread flour

10ml (2 tsp) salt

125ml (½ cup) olive oil

30ml (2 Tbsp) rosemary, chopped

250ml (1 cup) black olives, pitted

For the Orange and Chili Butter:

250g butter, softened

Zest of 3 oranges

30ml (3 Tbsp) orange juice, freshly squeezed

45ml (3 Tbsp) chili, chopped

For the Harissa Dip:

2 garlic cloves, creamed

30ml (2 Tbsp) harissa paste

250ml (1 cup) plain yoghurt

125ml (½ cup) sour cream

15ml (1 Tbsp) lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste 

For the Pineapple Salsa:

500ml (2 cups) pineapple, cubed

125ml (½ cup) coriander, chopped

125ml (½ cup) lemon juice

15ml (1 Tbsp) sugar

1 chilli, sliced

1/2 red onion, diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Other essential platter components:

Variety of cheese

Cold meat selection

250g strawberries, halved

200g grapes, washed

Eggs, soft boiled

Pickled onions

METHOD

For the Olive, Rosemary and Sea Salt Ciabatta:

Pre-heat oven to 180.

Combine the yeast and sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast mixture over the lukewarm water and allow to rest in a warm spot until the yeast becomes frothy – about 5 minutes.

Place yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add half of the flour, salt, and half of the oil. Mix with a dough hook until a soft dough forms. Slowly add the remaining flour, rosemary, half of the olives and remaining oil. Allow the machine to knead the bread until it pulls away from the sides, about 3-4 minutes. Place dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot until doubled in size – about 1 hour.

Lightly flour a surface. Turn dough out onto the floured surface and knead for 3 minutes by hand. Cut the dough into three sections. Press each piece of dough into a ciabatta shape by tucking in the sides and bottom. Push remaining olives into the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm spot to rise again for 40 minutes.

Drizzle the loaves with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden – about 25 minutes.

For the Orange and Chili Butter:

Combine butter, orange zest, orange juice and chili flakes in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with a whisk attachment, or by hand, until well blended and creamed.

For the Harissa Dip:

In a large bowl, combine garlic, harissa paste, yoghurt, sour cream and lemon juice until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Pineapple Salsa:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Let set at room temperature for 30 minutes, to allow flavours to combine.

To assemble your platter:

Combine your freshly-baked ciabatta with the orange and chili butter, harissa dip, and pineapple salsa, with your cheese, cold meat and fruit on a stunning platter.