Mezze mazaa in Greece

I have been to Athens twice. On my first trip, I ate several meals in the “plaka", Athens’ well-known and beautiful district with meandering cobblestone streets, romanticised for its views of the Acropolis.

Restaurants in the plaka cater mostly to tourists. While the plaka is hardly the place to seek out where the locals eat, it was where I got a proper introduction to Greek mezze, small plates of appetisers. I had my mezze at a restaurant called Psaras/ The Fisherman’s Taverna, where — our waiter proudly informed us — Madonna had recently eaten a meal.

In the lively company of good friends, we sipped our wine and ouzo, the anise-based Greek alcohol, which flows freely as the Greeks sing and dance late into the night. The Greeks have an innate appetite for a good party, and there is always mezze to go with it: spinach pie (spanakopita), grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat (dolmades), yogurt-cucumber salad (tzatziki), creamy pink-colored fish roe dip served with bread (taramosalata), and skewered beef and lamb kebabs (souvlaki).

Here are a couple of easy Greek appetisers I ate in Athens.

Aubergine and feta dip:

The Greek national favourite is feta cheese. Just about every Greek person I met swore the best feta came from his or her hometown. Feta can be made with goat, sheep or cow’s milk. Goat’s milk feta is the most tart and has the strongest flavour, whereas cow’s milk feta is the mildest. Slabs of feta seasoned with crushed dried Greek oregano and drizzled with olive oil are served on salads.  Feta is also used to stuff peppers, in dips, and sometimes simply grilled in special pans. My favorite was a cheese pie stuffed with mild feta, then baked, and drizzled with honey and sprinkled with white sesame seeds.

Here’s how you make an aubergine and feta dip:

Prick an eggplant or two all over with a fork, and roast in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celcius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes, turning the eggplant every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Scoop out the flesh and dice into small cubes. Add some chopped tomato; finely chopped red onion; one finely minced clove of garlic; and fresh herbs, such as oregano or thyme. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice and mix. Add in chopped feta cubes, drizzle with olive oil and serve, garnished with fresh oregano.

This dry dip pairs perfectly with warm pita bread. I first rip my pita bread into bite size pieces, then very lightly toss in my favorite flavoured olive oil and heat in the oven at 150 degrees Celcius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for 7-10 minutes.

Fried zucchini:

Put a couple of tablespoons of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Season the flour with salt, pepper and red chili powder. Pour some cold water (or cold white wine) in a separate bowl. Slice a zucchini or two into thin slices, but they should not be paper-thin. Dip each slice in the cold water (or wine), then in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Deep fry the slices in hot oil. Drain very briefly on paper towels and place on a cooling rack until ready to serve. Serve with your favourite hot sauce.