Purple Citrus & Sweet Perfume: Cuisine of the Eastern Mediterranean

MEZZE

In the time of Sultan Selim, there lived in Constantinople a drunkard, perhaps the only one in the whole of Turkey, and as a consequence his behavior was discussed in both high and low society.

The Sultan, hearing of this man, called him to the palace and demanded to know why he disobeyed the Prophet.

The drunkard replied that alcohol was a benefit to man, that it made the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk and the poor rich.

The Sultan, wishing to find the truth of the matter, sent his servants to find four men so afflicted; thus found, they were brought to the palace and each was served raki. Before long, the deaf man announced, I can hear the sound of great rumbling! The blind man replied, I can see him; it is an enemy that seeks our destruction! The lame man said, Show him to me and I will dispatch him! and the poor man said, Do not be afraid to kill him, for I have his blood money in my pocket.

As these things were being said, a funeral happened to pass the palace. The drunkard called from the window for it to be halted, rushed outside and opened the lid of the coffin. He spoke to the dead man and leaned down to hear his reply. Then the funeral went on its way.

What did you ask the dead man? asked the Sultan. And what did he say?

I asked him where he was going, and of what did he die. He told me that he was going to paradise and that he had died of drinking raki without a mezze.

Adapted from Told in the Coffee House, stories collected

in Istanbul by Cyrus Adler and Allan Ramsay (1898)

Mezze

Mezze is about spending time together, enjoying long warm evenings with family and friends, sharing anecdotes and stories of life over a leisurely meal. The Eastern Mediterranean mezze brings together a glittering array of dishes: rustic bean and mustard green salads, velvety tahini-based hummus and smooth vegetable purees, crunchy falafels and the wonderful flavors of crimson beet and emerald-green spinach. Not to mention the sophisticated sumac-and za’atar-flavored seafood and delicately baked pastries accompanying pomegranate and walnut salads enriched with nigella and sesame seeds, all topped off with the cooling texture of natural yogurt. The list is endless, but it is not just about the food as nourishment and satisfying your belly; it is about the colors, the textures, the combinations–a true feast for the eyes.

Mezze is in general an extremely healthy way of eating, combining as it does the most simple and basic of fresh ingredients, making it perfect for the twenty-first-century stomach. So enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack, for lunch or for dinner. To my mind there can be no particular order to a mezze–hot can be eaten with warm, vegetable with meat dishes, it is whatever you want it to be. My personal preference would be something like this: a combination of veggie-based tzatzikis, veggie-based hummus, then falafels, seasonal herb salads topped with white cheeses, followed by stuffed vine leaves, kofte, and finally okra cooked with fresh tomatoes, and a crispy börek.

Suzme Rolled in Za’atar, Sumac and Pistachios

Suzme is drained yogurt, known in the Middle East as labne. When yogurt is drained, and the whey drains away, it becomes very thick. Left for twenty-four hours, it takes on the texture of cream cheese, thereby allowing it to be rolled in a variety of coatings, such as herbs, nuts and seeds. For this recipe you will need to use a good-quality, whole milk, plain yogurt without additives.

Za’atar is a typical Middle Eastern blend of herbs and spices. It is available ready-mixed at Middle Eastern grocers, but it is also very easy to make at home (see The Eastern Mediterranean Pantry).

FOR THE SUZME

1 quart whole milk plain yogurt, not Greek-style

7 ounces goat cheese

¹/3 cup finely chopped pistachios

¹/3 cup finely ground pistachios

2 tablespoons Za’atar (see The Eastern Mediterranean Pantry)

2 tablespoons crushed sumac

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pieces of cheesecloth approximately 12 × 12 inches

wild greens, for serving

warm crusty bread, for serving

1 or 2 days in advance

To make suzme, place the yogurt in the center of the double-layered cheesecloth. Standing over a sink, twist the muslin around the yogurt until you have a tight ball. Tie the top with some string and suspend the ball (I tie it to the tap) overnight. You will end up with yogurt of a very thick consistency, which is known in the Eastern Mediterranean as suzme. You will have about 1½ cups (11 ounces). Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

On the day

Place the suzme in a bowl with the goat cheese and combine until smooth. Put aside about 2 tablespoons each of the chopped and ground pistachios.

Shape the mixture into thick ovals, using a generous teaspoonful at a time. Roll a third of the ovals in the za’atar, coating each one generously, and put to one side. Repeat this with the remaining ovals, rolling half in the sumac and the other half in the pistachios. When making the pistachio ovals, for variety of texture, you can do some with just the ground pistachios, some with just the chopped pistachios and some with both.

Arrange all the ovals on a platter, sprinkle with the remaining pistachios, season and serve with wild greens and warm bread.

SERVES 8

Crispy Spiced Shrimp with Avocado and Tahini Sauce

FOR THE SAUCE

1 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini

1 garlic clove, minced

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

FOR THE SHRIMP

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons semolina

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed sumac

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

12 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 tablespoons olive oil

To make the sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to puree.

To cook the shrimp

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Combine the flour, semolina, black sesame seeds, cumin, sumac, ginger and coriander in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, cover the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a nonstick pan. Dip each shrimp in the flour and spice mixture, coating them well. Sauté the shrimp for 2–4 minutes in the pan, a few at a time, until golden brown. Keep each batch warm on a baking sheet in the oven.

Season the sauce and serve with the crispy shrimp.

SERVES 4

Haydari–Yogurt and Feta Dip

Haydari is a thick and voluptuously creamy dip made with drained yogurt (suzme). This is something that I vividly remember from my childhood, forming part of a wonderful breakfast served with freshly baked bread. My mother made her haydari with homemade yogurt, adding chopped olives and a hint of olive oil, but my favorite version is this one, using feta cheese and sweet paprika. Make your own yogurt if you’ve got the time, but otherwise store-bought Greek yogurt works almost as well.

4 ounces feta, crumbled

1 cup Suzme (see Mezze)

2 garlic cloves, minced

leaves of 6 fresh mint sprigs, finely chopped

freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place the feta in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the suzme, garlic and mint, and combine well. Season with black pepper.

Serve sprinkled with the walnuts and sweet paprika, and drizzled with olive oil.

SERVES 6

Tahini, Lemon and Sumac Sauce

3 tablespoons tahini paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

juice of 2 small lemons

2 garlic cloves, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon crushed sumac

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Mix the tahini, cumin and the lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly stir in 1–2 tablespoons of water, a little at a time, until you have a consistency that resembles thick cream. Then add the garlic, and season.

Combine the sumac with the olive oil and drizzle over the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve, with meat, poultry, vegetables or falafel.

SERVES 6–8

Stuffed Vine Leaves with Winter Squash, Rice and Pine Nuts

FOR THE VINE LEAVES

50 fresh or preserved vine leaves

FOR THE STUFFING

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, finely cubed

¹/3 cup Arborio rice

½ cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped

8 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves finely chopped

8 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

TO SERVE

1 cup yogurt

grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To prepare the fresh vine leaves

Select the 40 best leaves and set the remaining 10 leaves aside. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the leaves and cook 30 seconds for preserved leaves and 5 minutes for fresh. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

To make the stuffing

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over a medium heat and sauté the onion for 3 minutes until just translucent. Add the squash and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice, combining it well with the other ingredients, then stir in the pine nuts, oregano and tarragon, and season. Cook for 10 minutes to parcook the rice.

To make the parcels

Lay out a cooled, blanched leaf, shiny side down, and place a small amount of the squash mixture in the center–just enough to comfortably wrap the leaf around the mixture. Fold the bottom edge nearest you over the filling, then fold in the two sides and tightly roll away from you into a neat parcel.

To cook the vine leaves

Line the bottom of a medium-sized saucepan with 4 or 5 of the reserved unblanched leaves. Arrange the stuffed vine leaves, seam side down, in the prepared saucepan, keeping them nice and tight in layers. Arrange the remaining unblanched leaves on top of the stuffed parcels. Add just enough water to cover. Weigh the parcels down with a plate to keep them in place. Simmer over gentle heat for 45–50 minutes.

To serve

Combine the yogurt, lemon and olive oil, and season. Serve the stuffed vine leaves warm or cold, accompanied by the lemon and yogurt sauce.

MAKES 40

Eggplant, Aleppo Pepper and Pomegranate Spread

This peppery spread is wonderful as an accompaniment to any meat dish, or just slathered on bread and eaten on its own. Aleppo pepper is mild, sweet, fruity and slightly smoky. You might have to look around for it, but it is available dried in many Turkish and Middle Eastern food stores. If you have trouble finding it, substitute a large pinch of mild red chili flakes and a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

The city of Aleppo is in northern Syria, and is claimed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, having been founded more than 3,000 years ago.

1 large eggplant

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed Aleppo pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Pomegranate Molasses (see The Eastern Mediterranean Pantry)

seeds from 1 small pomegranate

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

grated zest of ½ lemon

Wash and trim the eggplant, then slice thinly.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick saucepan and add the eggplant slices a few at a time, cooking them until golden brown. Stir in the Aleppo pepper, garlic, coriander and allspice. Don’t worry if the eggplant breaks up. Add the chopped tomatoes and pomegranate molasses and simmer on low heat until the liquid is almost gone and the eggplant is soft and mushy, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

Add the pomegranate seeds and cilantro to the cooled mixture, combine and season to taste. Sprinkle with the lemon zest before serving.

SERVES 6

Syrian Za’atar Bread with Thyme Flowers

Breads are an essential part of the mezze table. Traditional breads, especially flat breads, were baked in a clay oven known as a taboon, where a disk of dough would be stuck against the oven wall and within 1–2 minutes it would become deliciously crisp on the outside and velvety and soft on the inside. This bread is exactly that, a flat bread, not that dissimilar to pita, but flavored with za’atar and baked indoors.

FOR THE DOUGH

¾ cup warm (105°–115°F) water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm (105°–115°F) milk

4²/3 cups all-purpose flour

2½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons Za’atar (see The Eastern Mediterranean Pantry)

scant ½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

TO SERVE

2 tablespoons fresh thyme flowers

To make the dough

In a bowl, combine the warm water and yeast and allow to stand for 10 minutes, by which time it will be foaming.

Add the warm milk to the yeast mixture. Sift the all-purpose and whole wheat flours into a separate large mixing bowl and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast mixture to the well and stir to combine. Then knead the mixture into a soft,