Add Some Bitters To Your Summer Snacks

These quick and easy Angostura bitters snacks will tickle your taste buds on a hot summers day.

Sweet-Salty-Bitters Glazed Nuts

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons Angostura aromatic bitters                                       
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kitchen salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 cups raw nuts-pecan/walnut halves/whole almonds or cashews

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 150 °. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven, melt butter with bitters in a 13cm bowl in the microwave or in a 16cm pan on the stovetop.  Stir.  Add sugar, salt and cinnamon – stir well. 
  2. Add nuts to bowl/pan and stir until well coated.  If needed, warm up mixture a little.  Line a large, rimmed sheet tray with baking/cooking paper.  Spread nuts out evenly on paper, separating them as much as possible. 
  3. Roast 13-16 minutes or until golden brown; remove from oven. 
  4. Let cool 10-15 minutes, then use your fingers to break clusters. 
  5. When completely cooled – transfer nuts to serving bowl or store in airtight container.

Fiesta Meatballs

Ingredients

  • ±500g lean ground beef
  • ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon oreganum
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200° Celsius.
  2. Place ground beef in a medium bowl. In a small bowl stir together breadcrumbs, chilli powder, cumin, oreganum and salt. Stir in onion and garlic. Sprinkle over meat in two batches, cutting into meat with the side of a large spoon.
  3. Whisk together egg and chosen Angostura bitters. Drizzle over meat, cutting in with spoon.
  4. Form into balls and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Bake 16-18 minutes.
  5. Serve with toothpicks and your preferred dipping sauce.

Broiled Lemon-Garlic Prawns 

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Grated peel of one large lemon
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon Angostura aromatic bitters
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1kg prawns
  • 8 skewers

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except prawns and skewers to make the marinade. Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails on.
  2. Add to marinade and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 ½ hours. 
  3. Drain prawns and thread on skewers.  Broil 3-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Angostura, Black Tea, and Thyme Ice Cubes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 black tea bags
  • 20 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
  • 5-6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

Instructions

  1. Bring water to the boil, turn off the heat, add tea and bitters. Allow to cool and then add thyme leaves.
  2. Cool to room temperature. Remove tea bags and pour into ice trays to freeze.