Mediterranean Meze

Certain foods, like some aromas, are so evocative of specific times and places that just one mouthful can transport you right back there no matter how far away or how long ago; such was true of the meal Warren and I put together last night.  It didn't matter which of the elements we put into our mouths, as the flavours of each one were immediately reminiscent of all our wonderful holidays in Greece and Cyprus.

If you have ever visited the Greek Islands or Cyprus you will need no further explanation; if you haven't, try to imagine a balmy evening with a soft sea breeze just cooling your sun-warmed skin deliciously ... you are sitting outside (probably on a plastic patio chair) at a square wooden table, surrounded by huge clay pots full of geraniums and bougainvillea, while overhead there are grape vines and fairy lights ... you are with someone special and the hum of other diners is somehow no more intrusive than the bazouki music in the background, as you chat about the lovely first day you've had and how fantastic it is to be back ... a dark, handsome and charming man comes to your table and greets you with a smiling "Kali spera", which you return in your best Greek accent ... you order Meze and beer and eat until you're satisfied, knowing that for the next two weeks you will be doing this every night at one or other of the many tavernas ... Yammas!

Clockwise from the top: pitta bread, Moroccan cous-cous, Greek salad, dolmades (rice and mint stuffed vine leaves), herby chicken with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, hummus and taramasalata, gigantes (butter beans in tomato, herb & garlic sauce), mixed marinated olives.

The only things we made ourselves were the herbed chicken (literally just dusted with "Italian Seasoning", pan-fried and finished in the oven), roasted vegetables (left over from Sunday roast; see my Squidoo lens for Autumn veg variation full recipe: Roast Autumn Veg), and the Greek salad (roughly chop cucumber and tomatoes, thinly slice red onion and mix all together with olives; dress with lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and mixed herbs, then top with cubed feta cheese and sprinkle with dried mint - just gorgeous!!).

The dolmades and gigantes (pronounced "gig-(rhymes with "wig")-AN-tees") were purchased in tins from our local Tesco, where we also bought the other dishes from their deli and bakery counters.  It's so great to be able to buy international food so easily ... although I still try to buy British produce whenever it is an option.

V  This Meze is predominantly  vegetarian already; just remove the chicken and taramasalata and you're there!