This time of year, we could make a meal every night out of little bites of this and that. Any of these salads, dips, or spreads would be welcome on our table. The middle east does it right. By the way, if you want an exhaustive list of meze from different countries, go read this. And don't worry, we're gonna give you hummus, too.
TOP ROW:
• 1. Muhammara, a Syrian dish of roasted red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses.
• 2. Baba Ghanoush, the roasted eggplant dish (this recipe is from David Lebovitz).
• 3. More baba ghanoush, this one a super easy recipe from Faith.
• 4. Labneh, a fresh, mild, thick cheese made from yogurt. This recipe is from Chico's Kitchen and is topped with healthy shake of za'atar seasoning.
• 5. What is labneh, exactly? This post will explain.
BOTTOM ROW:
• 6. Tabbouleh, a nice, green touch to the spread... Bulgur, parsley, and tomatoes.
• 7. Fattoush—more green! We love this simple, beautiful salad that Kathryn made.
• 8. And finally, some hummus. Here's a step-by-step guide to making it.
• 9. Restaurant-style hummus, from Disgustingly Good. Apparently there's a secret to making it pale and creamy.
Related: Small Bites from Around the World
(Images: Joanna Miller; David Lebovitz; Faith Durand; Cherine/Chico's Kitchen; Flickr member Mevrouw Cupcake, licensed for use under Creative Commons; Kathryn Hill; Ryan/Disgustingly Good)
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Gosh, all of these look so delicious. The only problem is that I want to make all of them at once!
Labneh is so delicious! I like to make labneh balls, which is basically the same except after a couple of days of draining you shape them into balls and let them firm up in the fridge for a day or so. Yum!
I make a kick-butt muhammara and red pepper hummus! Mediterranean food is so easy to entertain with, since much of it can be prepared ahead and served at room temperature.
Here's my recipe for muhammara:
http://operagirlcooks.com/2010/04/19/muhammara-syrian-red-pepper-dip-recipe/
and the one for roasted red pepper hummus:
http://operagirlcooks.com/2010/07/05/roasted-red-pepper-hummus-recipe/
Enjoy!
seems like nice crispy yummy salad .
Cho Yung Tea
I love Muhammara! So excited to give it a try at home, I've only had it at restaurants before ... didn't even know what was in it!
http://www.twohealthyplates.com
I would add to this list the Iranian dish Zeitoon Parvardeh.
Blend a handful of pitted green olives, garlic cloves, fresh walnuts and the juice of a pomegranate or sour orange. Delicious!
Fattoush is amazing. I had never eaten it, let alone heard of it, until introduced through The Kitchn. I've made it a few times now, and everyone loves it.
Mmmm... these all sound yummy.
I'm not sure of its provenance, but chickpea-based: I <3 frijolemole!
Hey! Wheres garlic spread?!
I'll pass on hummus from time to time but I've yet to mean a garlic spread I don't destroy.
this is an amazing post! I can't get enough of Middle Eastern dips. I made one up that is my version of Indian baba ghanoush:
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/10/baingan-bharta-roasted-eggplant-curry.html