Mezze

David Payne
Oct 3
5 min read

So we thought that we would do ourselves a cold mezze this week as an evening meal. The target was a mere four dishes that we would prepare more or less from scratch rather than buy from the supermarket. This was quite different to the hot mezze described in the novel Turtles Swimming in Sea Grass.

The first task was the taramasalata so we headed off for the fish stall in the market to get some smoked cod roe. During the process of purchasing, we managed to discuss the ability of young octopus to get out of the basket traps that ensnare the older ones as well as talk about the seal that was currently luxuriating in the Boat Pool.

We bought 500g of smoked roe (which was excessive for our needs) and so we froze one packet for later. The rest of the ingredients could be sourced from the supermarket or from our store cupboard. We decided on the proportions for potato and bread ( and indeed the inclusion of potato) because we happened to have a couple of boiled potatoes in the fridge and only had a limited amount of stale white bread. I guess that is how many of these staples were originally constructed.

The recipe and method is set out below.

Taramasalata

There are an infinite variation of recipes out there. I have no idea which is authentic but I based mine on a review of a number of them and because I felt that the ingredients would work well together. Also a number of recipes call for adding the oil slowly after everything else has been added but I didn't do this and was pleased with the result in terms of both texture and taste.

Ingredients:

250g smoked cod roe (about 180g with the membrane removed)
1 medium white onion
juice of one large lemon
80g crustless stale bread
80g cooked potato (mashed)
170g virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Soak the stale bread in water for up to an hour and then squeeze out as much water as possible and set aside.
Remove the skin from the cod roe and set the roe aside
Finely chop the white onion and set aside
Cook and mash the potato if not already prepared. Set aside to cool if necessary,
Blitz the onions in the food processor until they are mushy paste.
Add the cod roe and the oil to the blender and pulse until mixed, then add the squeezed bread and the mashed potato and pulse to a smooth paste.
Add the lemon juice and the pepper and pulse again to mix together.
The longer you pulse the thicker the mix will become.
Move to serving bowl and place in fridge for at least an hour before serving. Keeps up to 3 days in fridge.

The only comment to be made is that the flavour improved further after a day in the fridge. No the dip is not pink liquid or the supermarket offerings. That's food dye in use there!

Then there was the Felafel.

I have not made this before and again there are plenty of recipes out there and plenty of different mixing styles. To me, apart from the taste and the smell ( which was heavenly as it was mixing) the key is the consistency of the mix to be formed into the felafel.

The other issue to consider is the fresh herb content. We plundered our Little Auk grower for parsley and coriander. We couldn't take any dill as we had used most of it a few days ago for a mackerel recipe and it was recovering foliage.

Plain flour can be replaced with gram flour for a gluten free option.

Ingredients:

About 400g of dried chick peas (not canned)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda per litre of water (see method)
Sunflower Oil for frying
1 medium white onion diced
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp flour ( you could use gram flower)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh cilantro
handful of fresh parsley

Method:

Add 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda to 1 litre of water and mix. Soak the chickpeas in the water
overnight (8–12 hours). Rinse then drain thoroughly and pat dry before use.
Pulse the diced onion and the garlic cloves in a blender until smoothish paste.
Add the chickpeas and pulse until they start to break up.
Add the cumin, coriander powder and cayenne pepper and a tsp salt to the mix and continue to pulse. You are aiming for a mix that looks sort of like cous cous. (see picture). Before you get there however, add the fresh herbs to the mix and contine to pulse until all mixed in and you have the desired consistency. The smell should be heavenly.
Add 3 tbsp flour and the baking powder and stir in.
Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour but we left it over night.
Form mixture into small balls (~3–4 cm diameter) or patties. If the mixture is too loose, add a little more flour.
(We chose to shallow fry ) Heat oil in a pan to 175 °C (350 °F).
Fry falafel in batches until golden brown and crisp (~3–4 minutes). Turn them frequently. We then put them in the oven for a further 10 minutes at 160C just to make sure the chickpea was cooked inside.

We made 12 and have enough mix to make a further 24 if not more. Somem will have to go in the freezer. The ones we ate were crisp on the outside and beautifully flavoursome on the inside. They tasted wonderful.

The second dip is the hummus which I have made absolutely from scratch in the past ( including making the tahini) but on this occasion I had shop bought tahini in the fridge.

Ingredients:

400g can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
60 ml tahini
2 to 3 tbsps olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 or 3 tbps of cold water
salt to taste

Method:

Pitch the chick peas , tahin, lemon juice, salt & garlic into the blender and mix to combine.
With the motor running, pour in the olive oil slowly and add a little water if necessary.
transfer to serving dish and chill in fridge before serving

The third and final dip for this mezze is baba ganoush, a dip made from aubergine. Ostensibly it's a weird one but it is particularly nice and simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 medium to large aubergines
2 to 2 tbsp tahini
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
3 or 4 garlic cloves
pinch of salt
juice from a whole lemon (I only used three quarters)

Method:

Preheat oven to 220 °C (425 °F).
Prick eggplants with a fork and roast whole on a baking tray for 30–40 min, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and flesh is very soft.
Let eggplants cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Discard the skin.
Mash with a fork or blend lightly in a food processor with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and salt until smooth but still slightly textured.
Taste and add more lemon, salt, or garlic if needed.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley, smoked paprika, or pomegranate seeds.