The Big Greek Heritage Summer Meze
My family loves nothing more than a ‘choosing tea’ and this is definitely a favourite summer choosing tea to celebrate. A big Greek meze of delicious flavours to enjoy and relish.
With so many of us having staycations this year this is the perfect treat to bring some Mediterranean sunshine food to you. You can make it more authentic too with a bit of plate smashing on your back patio and some ouzo for the adults to wash the food down.
So here is our ‘Big Greek Heritage Summer Meze’ which provides something for everyone and a balanced meal for your keen meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans to pick and choose what they want. For more ideas see our Pinterest board too.
Don’t forget when you order from us you can ‘build your own box’ and order exactly what you want so you can buy all the ingredients you need to make your meze special. We hope you feel inspired, please don’t forget to share with us what you have made with your box contents this week.
Emma x
Authentic Greek Salad (village salad)
15mins
Serves 2
Suitable for Vegetarians
What’s better than a proper crunchy fresh Greek salad – make use of your free kalamata olives this week! (boxes from 18 – 23 August).
Recipe and Image Source: https://www.olivetomato.com/authentic-greek-salad/
Ingredients
- 2-3 vine tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber
- 5-6 kalamata black olives
- 1/2 small green pepper (or red ones are also fine)
- 1 chunk of feta (2-3oz) chop into squares
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt
Method
Cut the tomato into irregular wedges.
Peel the cucumber and cut in slices that are about ½ inch thick
Slice onion and pepper in thin slices.
Put the tomatoes and cucumbers in a shallow bowl and combine.
Place the thinly sliced onion and pepper on top. Add the olives. Sprinkle with oregano.
Drizzle with some olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.* Add some salt to taste.
Place a piece of feta on top (or you can cut into squares) and sprinkle the feta with oregano and another drizzle of olive oil.
* You can also add capers.
* Don’t skimp on the olive oil, you don’t want it to be drowning in it but the salad should be coated in the oil.
Gigantes Plaki (Greek baked beans)
Time: 50 Mins
Serves 4
Suitable for Vegetarians
Ready in under an hour, this Greek one-pot is packed with plenty of fresh flavours as well as protein and fibre, making it a healthy dish with less than 300 calories per serving.
Recipe and Image Source: https://www.olivemagazine.com/
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2x400g chopped tomatoes (or buy our 800g tins)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- a large pinch dried oregano
- 660g large butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 125g feta, crumbled, to serve
- Flat-leaf parsley, chopped to make 2 tbsp
Method
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole, then gently cook the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. 2)
Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano and beans, 250ml of just-boiled water and some seasoning, and bring to a simmer. Put into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until thickened and bubbling.
Top with crumbled feta and chopped parsley, and serve with toasted sourdough or pitta bread, if you like.
Briam (Traditional Greek Roasted Vegetables)
Time: 2hrs
Serves 4
Suitable for Vegetarians
Briam takes roasted vegetables to a whole new level of delicious, you can also add aubergines and bell peppers too. The spices – rosemary and oregano, garlic, parsley and a generous glub of olive oil take this dish to the next level. It’s Vegan, Zero Cholesterol, Low Carb and Gluten-Free too so fantastic for those watching their waistlines. It also looks super pretty.
Recipe and image source: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/
Ingredients
- 570g potatoes (about 3 medium-size potatoes), peeled and thinly sliced into rounds (about 1/8inch thick)
- 570g courgettes (2 to 3 courgettes), thinly sliced into rounds (about 1/4-inch thick)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 35g chopped fresh parsley
- 4 garlic cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 800g canned diced tomatoes (see our large tins)
- 1 large red onion or 2 smaller red onions, thinly sliced into rounds
Method
Preheat oven to 200C.
Place sliced potatoes and courgette in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Add fresh parsley, garlic, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to make sure the vegetables are well coated.
Grab a large round pan or skillet. Pour 1/2 of the canned diced tomatoes in and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.
Arrange the seasoned potatoes, courgettes and sliced onions in the pan in rows (simply going around the shape of the pan and alternating.)
If you have any of the extra virgin olive oil and garlic mixture left in the mixing bowl, pour that all over the veggies, then top with the remaining tomatoes from your can.
Cover the pan with foil (tent foil a bit so it is not touching the veggies). Bake in 200 degrees C heated-oven for 45 minutes. Take the pan out briefly to carefully remove foil, then place back in the oven, uncovered, and roast for another 30-40 minutes or until the veggies are soft and charred and most of the liquid has evaporated. (Ovens do vary, so pay attention and check as needed).
Remove from oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with an added generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Emma’s made a video making this recipe, so be sure to head over to our YouTube channel to watch a step-by-step tutorial!
Easy Chicken Souvlaki
Prep Time: 6hrs
Cooking Time: 15mins
Serves 1
This simple and healthy Chicken Souvlaki recipe is classic Greek street food. The marinated chicken is packed with flavour and will bring the taste of Greece right into your kitchen. It works brilliantly with the tzatziki.
Ingredients
- 450g chicken breasts
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3tbsp Greek seasoning (if you can’t find Greek seasoning, make your own and bottle up for future use – please see ingredients under the main recipe)
Method
Combine all the ingredients, except for the chicken, in a ziplock bag and shake the bag to mix everything well.
Add the chicken and shake to ensure the marinade is covering the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate in this mixture in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill until it is thoroughly cooked. The chicken can be grilled outdoors or on a stovetop with a grill pan.
Serve the chicken with tzatziki for dipping, as a topping for Greek salad, in a pita for gyros, or as is with traditional Greek sides or roasted vegetables.
Make your own Greek seasoning
Mix together the following ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 garlic powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp onion flakes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Emma’s tremendous tzatziki dip
Prep time: 10mins
Serves 2 – 4
Suitable for Vegetarians
This is my staple go-to ‘food’ when I’m not feeling like a full meal, especially during the Summertime. I love it with toasted pitta and veg sticks. I first discovered it when visiting Crete 20+ years ago and spent the fortnight with garlic breath and looking forward to sampling different variations at each restaurant we visited. It is still top of my list for my most favourite (and simplest of dishes) to make and eat.
If you want fresher breath you can substitute the garlic for fresh chopped mint instead.
Ingredients
- 1 small tub (170g) of Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped or 3 tsp of dried dill
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or 2 if you want a stronger garlic flavour)
- 2 tsp olive oil
Method
Peel your cucumber and grate over a sheet of kitchen roll
Press cucumber to release as much liquid as possible.
In a medium bowl, combine Greek yoghurt, chopped (or dried) dill, minced garlic, and shredded cucumber. Add about 1 -2 teaspoons of olive oil
Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with additional dill.
Homemade Greek Pitta Bread
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time:1hr 15mins
Serves 6
Once you try homemade Greek pitta bread, you’ll never go back to buying the store-bought stuff again and it’s fun to make too.
Image and recipe source: https://www.thegayglobetrotter.com/
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar, salt, and warm water. Stand for 10 minutes.
Place flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture into the well.
Knead the mixture into a dough. If the mixture is sticking to your hands, use additional flour. Knead the dough for 10 additional minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the dough, and continue kneading until combined.
Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour. Punch the dough and knead for an additional 5 minutes.
Separate the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and roll them out to 1/4 inch thickness.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry each pita for 1-2 minutes on each side or until pockets have formed and pita is cooked through but soft and white.
