Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Mezze


This has to be the best way to eat. A big bowl of toasted pita wedges, a big bowl of green grapes, a cucumber salad, and things for dipping. If you ever want to turn Sunday dinner into a party, just add dips.

The party attendees were just Patrick and myself, but why not? Who says parties have to be invitation-only? Sunday night, as you look back on the sweet and laughter-filled weekend, and groan ahead at the coming week, is the perfect time for a slightly-festive evening meal.

This was my take on a Middle Eastern mezze spread-- similar to Spanish tapas, with different spices and maybe not so much grease. It started as a way to employ the leftover hummus in my freezer, and quickly snowballed with the addition of a little homemade caponata and a yogurt-cucumber salad.

If you're inspired to try your own, some pointers:

1) Pitas can be turned into "chips" by cutting into wedges and baking for about fifteen minutes at 400 degrees. Give them a few stirs so they cook evenly.

2) Cucumbers + plain yogurt + lemon juice + a few pinches of minced fresh dill + garlic, salt, and pepper = fool proof.

3) There is no wrong addition to a mezze menu.

5 comments:

Danielle and Clint said...

The cucumber salad is similar to a Polish dish we make. We use cucumbers and sour cream. Looks so yummy!

alanna rose said...

Noms!
The grapes look wonderful - it seems like they are all bitter at our market right now - I have grape envy!

Lisa-Marie said...

I want to eat all of these things! Mezze/Tapas/ anything that means lots of bits of things makes me happy.

Kristina Strain said...

I've heard of a cuke/sour cream salad before-- something I'll have to try someday.

Alanna-- that's so sad about your bitter grapes! Grapes are one thing that should NEVER be bitter.

Lisa-Marie, why is eating "bits of things" so much fun? It doesn't feel meal-like at all, more snacky. Maybe that's why. Hm.

Becky said...

I sure wish we lived next door. We would bring the crackers and cheese :)

Post a Comment

Thank you, so much, for taking the time to chime in here. Your comments make my day. Let's do our best to keep the snarkiness at bay and be a happy, friendly place in the interwebs.

Related Posts with Thumbnails