A Taste of the Mediterranean

I love a good Mediterranean deli counter. The platters are always fresh, flavorful, and quite healthy too. Faced with so many beautiful and delicious options, I appreciate that I can sample to my heart’s content and leave the counter with a plate that offers color, variety, and delicious pita bread to scoop it all up.

I often say I’d love to take some time to prepare amazing mezze dishes to eat off of throughout the week. Spreads like hummus, baba ganoush (roasted eggplant spread), and tirokafteri (spicy feta spread) paired with salads like fresh cucumber and tomato, deliver a wonderful and filling meal. Add pita bread to the menu and you’ve got amazing food that you can eat for lunch or dinner and never get bored.

With a little more time on my hands to have some fun in the kitchen, I recently had an opportunity to make some of my favorite mezze dishes, complete with homemade pita. My family enjoyed this taste of the Mediterranean at home, complete with spicy feta dip, hummus, cucumber and tomato salad and roasted veggies. Like all recipes, you can adapt any of them to your taste-buds. I hope you enjoy them. Leave a comment if you give them a try!

Pillow-y Soft Fresh Baked Pita Bread

Ya’ll, I have to tell you just how AMAZING this pita bread recipe is! While it’s the first and only I’ve ever attempted, I highly doubt I’ll ever need another one because it’s simply perfect to me and my crew. Due to its simplicity, I think I’ll also find it extremely hard to buy store-brought pita again, provided I have a little time to let the dough rise. It’s truly that good! This recipe is adapted from David Tanis’s “Homemade Pita Bread” recipe as posted on The New York Times Cooking website. Please give this a try. You won’t regret it!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purposed flour, plus a little more for dusting dough and work space
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe:

Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
Add salt, olive oil and remaining all-purpose flour. Using chopsticks or a wooden spoon, stir until mixture becomes shredded/”shaggy” looking. Dust with a little flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any remaining bits of dry dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface (I like to use this silicone pastry mat made by Sur La Table. It has lots of measurement guides on it that will be super helpful when rolling out the dough). Gently knead for 2 minutes, until smooth, trying not to incorporate too much additional flour. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Dough should be soft and a little moist.
Return dough to a clean mixing bowl. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Allow dough to double in size, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a pizza/baking stone, large cast-iron skillet, or heavy-duty baking sheet. Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal balls. Place dough balls on work surface and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 10 minutes.
While keeping others covered, remove 1 ball and use a rolling pin to roll into a flat disc. Roll into a 6-inch circle, then roll again until circle is approximately 8-inches diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Dust with flour, if needed, while rolling.
Lift one dough circle and quickly place in oven on your chosen heated baking surface. Close the oven and set a timer for 2 minutes (if needed) and let cook until puffed. Flip pita to other side and let cook for one additional minute. Pita should still be a bit pale in color with only a few lightly brown/toasted spots when done. Place into a a basket or dish lined with paper towels/napkins to keep soft and warm. Repeat process with remaining discs of dough. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Flavor-filled Lemony Hummus

Ingredients:

3/4 bag dried chickpeas – about 1 1/4 cups (feel free to use canned, but for ultimate freshness, I used dried)
Kosher salt (1 tsp) for cooking beans
Baking soda
3 cloves garlic
Dash of cumin
Juice of 1 lemon, plus zest
1/3 cup tahini paste
4-5 ice cubes
Additional kosher salt, to taste
For serving (optional): Olive oil, smoked paprika, kalamata olives, chopped parsley, additional lemon zest or sumac (if available), Tabasco sauce

Recipe:

Begin by cooking your chickpeas (if dried). I prepared ours by adding them to the pressure cooker along with about 6 cups of water, 1 tsp kosher salt and cooking them for 1 hour. Notes: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, no problem! Simply follow any of the cooking options listed on the back of the chickpea bag. Using canned chickpeas instead? Drain and rinse them before adding to a pot, covering with fresh water and heating until warmed.
Optional step – shell your chickpeas: Once done, release the pressure and add a little baking soda to the pot, about 1 1/2 teaspoons. Drain cooked chickpeas and run them under cold water, using your hands to remove and discard the shells. Note – this is an optional step, but helps make your hummus super creamy if you don’t have a really good food processor.
Add cooked chickpeas and garlic to food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add in cumin, lemon juice, zest, tahini paste and ice cubes. Continue to pulse until mixture is fluffy and smooth. Add a little warm water, if needed.
Add kosher salt, to taste
Serve by topping with olive oil, smoked paprika, a sprinkle of parsley, lemon zest, sumac (if available), kalamata olives and a dash of Tabasco sauce.

Spicy Feta Dip

Ingredients:

1 – 8 oz block feta cheese
1/2 of a whole roasted red, orange or yellow pepper (roasted and peeled or about 1/3 cup of jarred roasted red peppers)
Olive oil, about 1/4 cup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
Pickled jalapeno peppers (as few or as many as you’d like!)
To serve (optional): sprinkle of oregano and handful of kalamata olives

Recipe:

Add all ingredients to food processor and blend until you reach a creamy consistency. Add additional olive oil if needed. Sprinkle with oregano and top with a handful of kalamata olives. That’s it! Enjoy :).

Fragrant Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

Cauliflower, colorful bell peppers, red onion, yellow squash, zucchini…whatever you like, and however much of it you need to feed you/your crew!
Sprinkle of cumin
Sprinkle of coriander
Sprinkle of sweet or smoked paprika
Sprinkle of chili powder
Olive oil
Seasoning salt/pepper (to taste)

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Chop veggies, ensuring they are even in size. Note – keep veggies like yellow squash/zucchini on the thicker side so that they don’t cook quicker than your cauliflower.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and add veggies.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices.
Roast in oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until veggies begin to caramelize to your liking. Serve warm (or cold as a roasted veggie salad) and enjoy!

Simple Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

Sliced cucumbers (however many you’d like!)
Tomatoes, cut in half or quartered depending on size (type and amount are your choice, just make sure they’re ripe)
Onions, sliced (your choice on the quantity here as well!)
Apple cider vinegar
Chopped fresh dill (to taste) or sprinkle of dried
Sprinkle of onion powder
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, to taste
Drizzle of honey

Recipe:

In a bowl or container with a lid, add cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Fully cover with vinegar. Sprinkle in dill and spices. Drizzle mixture with a little honey. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.