Wednesday, March 29, 2006

huzza for mezze

My favorite:



Mezze is a cold platter where you eat lots of different things together. This is my panultimate favorite because I'm the sort who wants to eat just a little bit of everything.

Putting together a mezze is a breeze once you have the right ingredients: store bought hummus, greek yogurt, stuffed grape leaves, marinated olives, feta, and cucumber salad.

I got introduced to spicy marinated olives through a good friend whose father is Moroccan.

Spicy Marinated Olives

marinated olives:

1 lb olives
2 T red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon
2 serrano chilies chopped
1/4 c olive oil

In a large ziplock bag put all the olives and half the brine from the jar in it. Add the rest of the stuff. marinate for at least four hours. When the olives are gone (which happens more quickly than you'd think) add more olives to the marinade mixture.

Fake Tabouleh Salad

I rarely have the tabouleh around the house, so here's my modified salad:

1/3 English hothouse cucumber
1/4 bunch of parsley (flat leaved)
2 sprigs of fresh mint
2 T of lemon juice
1/4 small red onion minced

When I serve the hummus, I add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

Mezze is fabuous for a lazy lunch.

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