MEZZE TO ORDER

By Oded Schwartz 

Food historian and author of the highly acclaimed book 'Preserving', shares an al fresco table with SHOWCOOK. 

When the days are hot and the evenings are mild and cool, there is nothing nicer than, as they say in the Middle East, to open a table and serve Mezze. 

The saying 'opening a table' means presenting a meal, usually al fresco, composed of a myriad of little appetising dishes to revive flagging appetite and refresh the spirit. Those are traditionally served with Arrack (Raaki (Turkish) Ouzo (Greek) a distilled alcohol flavoured with aniseed – similar to the French Pernod.

LEEK SALAD 

This recipe is one of my mother’s specialities. It makes a refreshing, pleasantly salad with a most unusual strikingly coloured salad.

1 bunch spring onions, cleaned and trimmed, cut in halves lengthwise
750 g baby leeks, most of the green part removed, sliced lengthwise, into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
juice of 1 large lemon or more to taste and the grated peel of 1
200 ml water
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
salt
2 tsp flour or cornstarch for thickening, mixed with a little water (optional)
2 tsp of caraway seeds, roasted for a few seconds in a dry frying pan
chopped parsley or dill
lemon wedges (optional)
(Serves 6 - 8)

Place the leeks in a heavy bottomed saucepan add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 - 20 minutes adding some more water if necessary.

Lift out the leeks into a serving dish. Either thicken the sauce with the starch or reduce it by rapid boiling until it is glossy and slightly thickened. Adjust salt and lemon before pouring it over the leeks. Cool and serve either chilled or at room temperature decorated with chopped dill and lemon wedges.    

COOKED CARROT SALAD 

Piquant and robust Moroccan mezze salad. Hot it may be served as a vegetable side dish to accompany meat or fish.

Incase you do not have harissa substitute with a mixture of garlic and ground, preferably coarse, dried chilli. Finely chopped fresh red chilli can also be used.

4 tbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 generous tbsp honey or more to taste
750 g carrots, peeled and sliced into 2 cm rings
juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
salt
1 tbsp harissa or more (to taste)
chopped coriander, parsley or dill
(Serves 6-8)

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the spices and fry for a few seconds until aromatic. Add honey and carrots and continue frying over high heat, mixing from time to time until the carrots start to lightly brown.

Add lemon juice and salt. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are just cooked and still crispy and most of the liquid has evaporated. Check from time to time and if too dry add a few tablespoons of water or stock.  Add harissa and chopped herbs, mix well and serve.

FENNEL AND RED GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

A classic North African salad traditionally made with bitter oranges. As bitter oranges are rare to come by I substituted it with ruby or pink grapefruit, sweet oranges can also be used. 

500 g fennel, washed well
2 large pink grapefruits
4 tbsp hazelnut or good virgin olive oil
2 tsp fragrant honey
salt
pepper
4 - 5 fennel fronds, coarsely chopped
(Serves 6 - 8)

Trim fennel discarding the outer leaves and stems if tough. Keep some of the green fronds for decoration. Halve the bulbs and slice across into thin slices. 

To segment the grapefruit cut off both top and bottom just enough to expose the pink flesh. Lay the grapefruit on a chopping board and, with a serrated knife, slice away the peel and remove all traces of the white pith. 

Hold the peeled grapefruit in the palm of your hand and, with a sharp knife slice along the vertical membrane lines, leaving a perfectly peeled segment. When all segments are removed squeeze the juice out of remaining membrane, keeping 4 tablespoons. Drink the rest it is good for you!

Combine the fennel and grapefruit in a large mixing bowl add the grapefruit juice and the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Serve either slightly chilled or at room temperature.

AUBERGINES IN TZARAMELO 

One of my most favourite aubergine recipes this fresh pickle appears all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Refrigerated and packed in to a tightly sealed container, it will last for up to two weeks.

1 kg aubergine, sliced across into 4 cm slices
salt
olive oil for brushing

For the tzaramelo:
150 ml white wine vinegar
150 ml water
a few sprigs of celery leaves, finely chopped
a few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
1 - 2 or more chillies, finely chopped
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt
(Serves 6 - 8)

Arrange the sliced aubergine in a large tray, lightly sprinkle with salt, turn the slices over and salt the other side. Leave in a sunny spot for about 1 hour. Rinse the salt off and drain. Pat the slices dry with kitchen towel.

Heat your grill to the maximum. Brush some oil on the grill, arrange the aubergine on it and brush generously with olive oil. Grill for about 5 minutes or until the aubergines are lightly browned; turn over, brush with oil and grill for another 4 - 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Arrange the slices in a serving dish. Mix the tzaramelo and pour over the still warm slices.

CHICKEN KUFTAS

Texture is very important in those delicious kuftas and it is achieved mincing the chicken meat with the coarse plate of your mincer. If a mincing machine is not available, process in a food processor stopping and starting the machine until the meat is coarsely chopped.

300 g chicken breast, coarsely minced
300 g chicken thigh meat, coarsely minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stalks of celery including the leaves, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 - 2 red chillies, seeds removed (optional), finely chopped
Small bunch dill, leaves only, finely chopped
grated peel of 1 lemon
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 eggs
100 - 150 g bread crumbs or semolina 
sea salt and pepper
(Serves 6 - 8)

Mix all the above ingredients to a soft, ‘dropping’ consistency mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

With wetted hands shape the mixture into small flat frikkadels and shallow fry in olive oil for 6 - 8 minutes on each side, turning the kuftas frequently for even cooking.

Serve either hot or at room temperature. 

 

TAHINA SAUCE 

A versatile and essential sauce of the Middle Eastern kitchen where it is served as a dip, use for salad dressing cooking sauce or just served with pita bread as an appetiser.

250 g raw tahina paste
juice of 2 lemons or to taste
175- 200 ml water
1 clove garlic, mashed (optional)
2 tbsp good olive oil
2 - 3 tbsp chopped flat parsley (optional)
salt

(Serves 6 - 8 )

 

Place the paste in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and mix well. The tahina will be lumpy and grainy. Keep mixing, adding small quantities of water until the sauce reaches the consistency of heavy cream. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

INGERA

This is an easy, modern version of the Ethiopian classic bread. Ingera is a delicious slightly spongy flat, pancake like flat bread, which is used both as a plate to put food in and a scoop to eat the food with.

In this version whole wheat flour replaces the originally Teff – flour made from the small seed of the North African love-grass.

The batter for Injeera should be thicker than a crêpe batter but a bit thinner than pancakes. 

25 g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dried active yeast
1 tsp sugar
750 ml warm water
300 g bread flour
200 g wholewheat flour
1 tbsp nigella seeds (optional)

Crumble the yeast in a small bowl. Add the sugar and 4 tablespoons of warm water and stir well. Cover and stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until the mixture ferments and bubbles.

Place the warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast mixture and mix well.  Add ½ the quantity of both flours and beat into a smooth batter. Cover and ferment in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Beat in the rest of the flour and the nigella seeds if used, cover and ferment for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Heat a flat iron frying pan or griddle and clean with an oiled paper towel.  When hot enough to evaporate a drop of water immediately pour in a large ladleful of the mixture. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture into a large pancake. Griddle for about 2 minutes or until the top is set. Flip over and cook a little longer or until it starts browning. Transfer to a serving plate and lightly brush with melted ghee or butter.

To warm up: wrap in a clean cloth and microwave for 30 - 60 seconds.