Two easy Med dips

Here are two great Mediterranean dips, baba ganoush and tzatziki. Serve both with pita.

Yogurt * Cucumber * Garlic
Cut the cucumber in half, and scoop out the seeds. Puree with garlic and yogurt and a little oil. Season with salt and pepper.

You can add lemon and / or dill as well.





Eggplant * Tahini * Garlic
Roast the eggplant in a 400 deg oven for about 45 min to an hour, until soft.
Let cool and scoop out insides. Puree with tahini, garlic, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Meze

Similar to the Spanish tapa, in the Middle East Meze are small plates of appetizers.

Here are a few easy ones.

Baba Ganoush

1 Eggplant

2 - 3 garlic cloves

1 - 3 Tbs Tahini

Juice of 1/4 lemon

EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the eggplant in half. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Bake in 400 degree oven 45 minutes to an hour until soft and cooked through.

Let cool and blend with tomatoes, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, EVOO. Season with salt and pepper.

Yogurt Dip

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 - 2 garlic cloves

Salt

2 - 3 tsp dried Mint

Peel and seed the cucumber. This will help keep the dip from becoming too wet.

Smash the garlic with the salt.

Mix the garlic with yogurt and blend in the cucumber. Then add the mint.

This last one is likely not particularly Middle Eastern, but with a little Tahini dressing it went well.

Roasted Squash with Tahini Dressing

Acorn squash, sliced and seeded

Za'atar

salt and pepper

oil

Dressing

1 clove garlic

1 - 2 Tbs Tahini (to taste)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

EVOO

salt and pepper

Generous season the squash with the Za'atar, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree until soft about 60 minutes.

To make the dressing, crush the garlic with the salt. Add the tahini and lemon. Slowly drizzle in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe of the Day: Hummus

Hummus is one of my son's favorite dishes. It is easy to prepare and has the potential for a wide variety of flavor options. Here is the basic recipe:

2-3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
2-3 Tbs tahini (found at Middle Eastern markets or specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods)
1 can chick peas (drain, keeping the liquid)

In a food processor, chop the garlic with the salt and pepper until minced
Add the tahini, mix until smooth
Add the chick peas and enough liquid to get a smooth paste, blend until smooth
Season with salt and pepper




The possibilities for flavors are endless:
Try roasting the garlic first
Add roasted peppers or tomatoes
Add sundried tomatoes
Add hot pepper flakes
Add fresh herbs like mint, parsley or green onion
Add zahtar

Fool

So last night we had a Middle Eastern meal. I made hummus and a simple fattoush salad, this is a simple salad with pita chips in it. These I made by brushing pita with EVOO with a little zahtar, and toasting.

We also had Fool Madammas. Here is how I prepared it:

half large or one small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil
cumin
fava beans (I used canned and drained, but kept the reserved liquid)
lemon
parsley
tomato, diced
salt and pepper

Saute the garlic and onion in oil on medium heat until soft
Add the cumin and season with salt and pepper
Add the drained beans, adding the liquid to keep the beans from drying out
Mash some of the beans with a potato masher (a fork works too)
Squeeze in the lemon
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Top with fresh parsley and tomato

I first had this at my friend Danny's house, his mom is Egyptian, and this being the national dish of Egypt (I wonder what the national dish of the USA is?) she grew up eating it. She served it with hard boiled eggs, pita and chopped lettuce. You mash the beans with the egg, add a little lemon to taste and fill the pita with this mixture and the lettuce. YUM!! Thanks Elsie.