Middle eastern Mezze Platter
Middle Eastern food is always some of our favourite food. This mezze board is so delicious and quick to make with just 2 recipes you need to assemble, the baba ganoush and muhammara. You can make the dips ahead of time too. Baba – means dad, Ganoush – means spoilt ; as in such a treat to eat this dish. Muhammara is a roast red pepper and walnut, breadcrumb, chilli pomegranate molasses full flavoured dip
Takes 55 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
- Baba ganoush ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines
- 70 g Tahini – 2-3 tbsp
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp plant based yoghurt
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch ground pepper
- ¼ tsp Sumac – optional
- Muhammara ingredients:
- 4 roasted red peppers – 550g jar – 300g drained
- 1 clove garlic
- 50 g walnuts
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate molasses – optional
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- Pinch sea salt
- To serve
- 150 g Pickled peppers – approx ½ jar store bought
- ½ Cucumber
- 20 g sesame seeds
- 1 x 180g tub of hummus with toasted pine nuts
- 150 g Olives
- 4 wholemeal pitta
- 1 tbsp za-atar
Instructions
- Baba Ganoush method
- Preheat the oven to 220 C fan, cut eggplant in half lengthways, rub a little oil on the inside of the aubergine and place on a baking tray flesh side down, sprinkle with salt and cook for 40 mins until the aubergine is charred and collapsed and is super soft. Or if you have a gas stove you can cook the aubergine directly on an open flame, turning occasionally, for approx 15 minutes or until charred and collapsed and super soft inside. Allow to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them, into a medium mixing bowl, scrape out the soft flesh from the aubergine ( it should come away easily from the skin. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and season with lemon, salt or heat to your preference.
- Method for the Muhammara;
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally, while the nuts are toasting, blend all the other ingredients except for the breadcrumbs, together in a food processor, remove to a bowl, roughly chop the walnuts and add to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and mix well. Taste and add lemon, salt or heat if needed.
- To assemble the mezze platter;
- Toast sesame seeds on a dry open pan on medium heat until golden and they start to pop. Add a generous pinch of sat and grind in a pestle and mortar or else put in a ziplock bag and bash with the back of mug until they form a powder with some full seeds.
- Slice cucumbers and sprinkle over the gomasio
- Toast 15g/small handful of pine nuts and use to decorate the top of the hummus
- For pittas , mix 1 tsp of zaatar with 1 tbsp of oil and a pinch of sea salt. Toast pitas and brush with the za’atar oil while still warm. Allow the oil to soak into the pitas and cut into halves or quarters.
- To assemble your mezze;
- Put the hummus, muhammara and baba ganoush in 3 separate little bowls. Pop them on a large wooden chopping board or nice large platter. Add the toasted za’atar pittas, a nice pile of olives, another little pile of pickled peppers
