Mezze Platter
Spend the day grazing on our mezze platter full of delicious Mediterranean bites from Southern Europe to the Levantine coast!
Ingredients
Vadouvan Hummus
- 15 oz. can pre-cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 6 dried curry leaves
- 1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/3 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 cloves
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup English cucumber grated
- 1/4 cup dill finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp cured sumac
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ground pepper
Roasted Red Peppers
- 2 large red bell peppers (1-inch) slices
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ground pepper
Marinated Olives and Feta
- 7 oz. feta cheese block
- 1/2 cup olives kalamata black, castelvetrano green, and Cretan green olives
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary finely chopped
- ground pepper
Tabbouleh
- 1 cup English cucumber quarter slices
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pearl couscous
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ground pepper
Lemon Honey Vinaigrette (for Tabbouleh)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- ground pepper
Pickled Carrots
- 10 heirloom carrots halves
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 lemon sliced
Seasoned Tomatoes
- 6 Campari tomatoes quartered
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- ground pepper to taste
Pita Bread
- 12 pieces pita bread quartered
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
Additional Ingredients for the Mezze Platter
- 20 flatbread crackers
- 10 slices Proscuitto de Parma
- 10 slices salami
- 1 cup Marcona almonds
- 4 cups red grapes
Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette for the Tabbouleh
- Mince the garlic, and squeeze the lemons. Set each aside.
- Combine minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and ground pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together.
- Allow the dressing to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Roast the Red Peppers
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).
- Slice the red pepper, lengthwise, into long (1-inch) slices.
- Toss the red peppers with olive oil, salt, and ground pepper.
- Spread the seasoned red pepper slices onto a baking sheet.
- Roast the red bell peppers for 30-40 minutes, flipping them halfway through the roasting process.
Pickle the Heirloom Carrots
- Cut the carrots in halves lengthwise, and slice the lemons. Set aside.
- Combine apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar into a saucepan on the stovetop at high heat to make the pickling liquid. Boil it for 5 minutes.
- Add heirloom carrots, sliced lemon, and rosemary sprigs to a jar.
- Add pickling liquid to the jar and allow the carrots to pickle for at least 30 minutes.
Toast the Spices for the Vadouvan Hummus
- Finely chop the parsley. Set aside.
- Break open the cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle and remove the cardamom seeds.
- Combine curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, cardamom seeds, ground cumin, brown mustard seeds, turmeric powder, ground nutmeg, red chili powder, and cloves in a dry sauté pan at medium-low heat. Toast them for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until intensely aromatic.
- Grind the spices into a powder in an electric spice or coffee grinder.
Make the Vadouvan Hummus
- Combine pre-cooked chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Stir in salt and spices.
- Garnish with flat-leaf parsley and olive oil.
Blend the Tzatziki
- Grate skin-on English cucumber, wrap the grated cucumber in a cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess liquid.
- Finely chop the dill, peel and clean the garlic cloves, and squeeze the lemons. Set aside.
- Combine yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor. Grind until smooth.
- Stir in grated cucumber, dill, cured sumac, salt, and ground pepper.
Cook the Pearl Couscous
- Combine pearl couscous and olive oil in a saucepan at medium heat. Toast the dry couscous until lightly browned.
- Add water and salt. Raise the heat on the stovetop to high heat.
- When it begins to boil, cover the saucepan with its lid, reduce the heat on the stovetop to medium-low, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Toss Together the Tabbouleh
- Thinly slice English cucumber into quarters by thinly slicing the cucumber crosswise and then cutting each slice into four equal-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Cut the shallot in half and thinly slice the shallot, lengthwise, into long thin strips. Finely chop mint leaves and flat-leaf parsley. Set aside.
- Toss together cucumber, shallots, mint, flat-leaf parsley, cooked couscous, and lemon honey vinaigrette in a mixing bowl.
- Season with salt, and ground pepper to taste.
Make the Marinated Olives and Feta
- Cut the feta cheese block into cubes. Squeeze the lemons, and finely chop the rosemary. Set aside.
- Combine olives, feta cheese cubes, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, rosemary, salt, and ground pepper in a mixing bowl and toss well.
Season the Tomatoes
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add them to a mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil.
- Season them with salt, and ground pepper to taste. Toss well.
Bake the Pita Triangles
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius).
- Cut the pita bread into 4 triangles.
- Evenly distribute them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Brush them with olive oil.
- Season them with dried oregano and salt.
- Bake them for 5-7 minutes until warm.
Put Together the Mezze Platter
- Add tzatziki, marinated olives and feta, and tabbouleh to separate bowls. Place them onto a large platter.
- Dollop the hummus onto a corner of the platter.
- Dress the platter with pita triangles, flatbread crackers, roasted red peppers, pickled carrots, seasoned tomatoes, rolled up slices of prosciutto di Parma and salami, Marcona almonds, red grapes, and any other small bites you may desire.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Calories: 768kcalCarbohydrates: 111gProtein: 25gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 1000mgPotassium: 983mgFiber: 11gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 10516IUVitamin C: 75mgCalcium: 277mgIron: 6mg
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