Mezedes, noun Meze. Small servings of prepared food served as appetizers, or as a main meal. Greece, the Middle East, Asia, and in many other parts of the world, Mezedes as a way of eating is very popular, and each culture developed its own unique version of mezedes.
In Greece, gatherings at home are the perfect excuse to break out the alcohol of choice, emptying the pantry or refrigerator of anything edible, creatively presented on small plates, religiously splashed with some extra virgin olive oil, and placed in the centre of the table for all to share.
Now days, Greeks prefer to dine out at restaurants that specialize in mezedes called a Mezedopolio (Μεζεδοπωλειο). These are usually casual, affordable, and often rowdy eateries, with some also offering live music. Here, Greeks drink alcohol with the appropriate meze pairing in mind. For example, ouzo is usually served with what we call Psaro-mezedes, (Ψαρομεζέδες) which literally translates to fish-meze, a category of mezedes made with seafood. The bold distinctive scent of fennel, anise, and licorice make ouzo the perfect pairing. Ouzo also pairs well with hard salty cheeses, olives, and pickled vegetables. Wine also has its own category of mezedes, such as bites of braised beef, char grilled meats, and cheeses for red wine pairings, seared pork, and some psaromezedes for white wines. Needless to say, beer also has many mezedes you can pair with, including most of the ones mentioned above.
There are literally thousands of mezedes, and are only limited by your imagination. Here I have shared two classic mezedes to get your appetite going for this truly enjoyable way of sharing and eating.
Fava bean purée
(Vegan)
Recipe
Traditionally served with slices of red onion, caper berries, olive oil, and a slice of lemon, In this modern rendition, I have used some nuts and spring onion as an addition to the recipe.
Ingredients
500gr fava bean (yellow split pea) washed and strained in a colander.
1 Medium size red onion, coarsely chopped in large pieces.
1
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
lt vegetable stock?
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil?
walnuts, pistachio, spring onion, capers, and hazelnuts for the garnish.
Salt-black pepper
Method
Place split peas in a colander and rinse under cold running water, strain. In a medium size pot, preferably one with a thick base, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Lower the heat to slowly caramelize the onions, stirring often until transparent, soft and sweet, being careful they don’t brown.
Next add a pinch of pepper, the split peas, the vegetable stock and the bay leaves. Bring the stock to a boil and turn down the heat to a slow simmer, stirring regularly. Fava tends to stick to the base of the pot, so regular stirring is needed, especially towards the end of the process when the peas start to break down and resemble a purée. If this is not done, the fava will stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. When the peas are soft and cooked through, remove from the heat and add salt to taste, remove bay leaves. Blend the purée immediately till a smooth consistence and set aside to cool.
To serve
Spread the purée on a small plate and top with the walnuts, pistachio, spring onion, capers, red onion, and hazelnuts. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Fava is best eaten with some good sourdough bread, and pairs well with ouzo and white wine.
Char grilled aubergine (eggplant) with feta cheese
(Vegetarian)
Recipe
Ingredients
1 medium size aubergine
1 clove crushed garlic
80gr feta cheese
1 Tsp lemon juice
1 Tsp white vinegar
2 Tsp olive oil
few sprigs chopped Parsley
Salt-pepper
Method
Slightly pierce the skin 4-5 times all around before cooking. This will prevent it from building up steam inside and exploding… yes, aubergines can explode, spaying hot aubergine all over the kitchen walls and anyone standing in its path.
For best results, char grill the aubergine over high heat, turning a quarter turn at a time until black and burnt on the outside, but remain moist and soft when pinched with tongs. Don’t worry about burning them, the charcoal exterior is what gives the aubergine its smoky scent and flavour.
To serve
With a sharp knife, cut the aubergine in half lengthwise, retaining its shape as much as possible. Arrange on a meze plate flesh side up, and top first with the salt and pepper, then top evenly with the crushed garlic. Next, dress with lemon and vinegar, top with crumbled feta cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and add the chopped parsley. The tasty flesh is scooped out from the burnt skin and eaten.
Serve at room temperature.
Tip
Once you are confident cooking aubergine using this technique, you can go further and cook the aubergine directly on hot coals. The same method applies, only the cooking times vary, use a long set of tongs to get far away from the heat as possible. Cooking directly on coals gives a far superior, smokier flavour.
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