Move over, tapas, and make room for meze—these tasty Greek nibbles are the ideal party food
When I first stepped into a little Greek village some thirty years ago, I wasn’t yet aware that each custom I learned would come accompanied by a meatball, each tradition wrapped in phyllo, each conversation moderated with hummus, and each argument made zesty with cucumber-yogurt dip.
我已经进入了梅兹雷斯或梅泽，希腊的传奇小盘。像小吃一样，他们的西班牙表兄弟，梅泽（Meh-zay）不是在第一课程中的开胃菜。相反，他们在各种环境中提供的Tidbits，从日落到咖啡馆或厨房桌子周围的深夜聚会 - 他们总是在派对上送达。这款烹饪习俗来自古希腊人，他们认为没有客人应该受到欢迎，也没有饮料应该没有蚕食。三千年和许多零食后来，这些希腊小盘仍然是我的思想，完美的派对食物，我每次招待都会转向他们。他们是如此多才多艺，你可以只做一个或两个作为鸡尾酒弄脏或更好，令人欣慰的是梅泽传播并使其成为党的中心 - 这就是我所做的。
These eight dishes are the backbone of any meze spread—the classics you’ll find all over Greece, from chickpea, eggplant, and tangy yogurt dips tospinach and feta phyllo pie (spanakopita),crisp lamb meatballs,zucchini fritters, andstuffed grape leaves. As with all Greek food, the wonderful thing about meze is the freshness of their ingredients, which include an abundance of herbs and olive oil, and the variety of flavors, from earthy and meaty to zesty and sweet.
Menu Timeline
This timeline will help you put together a great meze party without a lot of stress.
未来最多两天：
- 敬酒皮塔饼芯片并存放在气密容器中。
- Grill the eggplant, cover, and refrigerate.
Up to one day ahead:
- Make the hummus and refrigerate.
- Make the eggplant dip and refrigerate.
- Make the tzatziki and refrigerate.
- Make the stuffed grape leaves and refrigerate.
- 使肉丸混合物和冷藏。
Up to 4 hours ahead:
- Make and shape the zucchini fritters and refrigerate.
- Make and bake the spanakopita.
- Take the stuffed grape leaves out of the refrigerator and bring to a cool room temperature.
Up to 1 hour ahead:
- Re-crisp the pita chips in a low oven.
- Take the hummus, eggplant, and yogurt dip out of the refrigerator.
- Fry the zucchini fritters.
- Shape and fry the meatballs.
Shopping List
Fresh Produce:
- 2磅新鲜的菠菜
- 1 lb. zucchini (about 3 medium)
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 small tomato
- 2 large lemons
- 2 medium yellow onions
- 1 head garlic
- 2 bunches scallions
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch fresh oregano
- 1 large bunch fresh mint
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1个非常大或2个中等串新鲜莳萝
Meat, Eggs & Dairy:
- 1/2 lb. ground lamb
- 1-1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek
- 12 oz. feta cheese
- 3个大鸡蛋
- 2 oz. Greek kefalotyri cheese or good-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tsp. whole milk
Other Groceries:
- 1 15-1/2-oz. can chickpeas
- 1 15-oz jar grape leaves
- 1 loaf good artisan-style bread or dense white sandwich bread (such as Pepperidge Farm’s Hearty White)
- Ten 6- to 7-inch round pocket pita breads
- 1 package frozen phyllo dough (such as Athens brand)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup short-grain rice, such as arborio
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1-1/2 Tbs. tahini (sesame paste)
Pantry Staples:
- 4-1/2 cups olive oil for frying
- 1-3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- Kosher or sea salt
- Black peppercorns
