Greek inspired meze

Sometimes I cannot decide on what I want for tea at home or what meal to have in a restaurant, which is why I am a big fan of tapas and mezes. Last night was one of those nights were I had taken some lamb chops out of the freezer but hadn't really thought of what to do with them. So, I looked in the fridge and cupboards to see what I could find and decided to make a few bits and bobs with a greek theme. When we were last in Greece,Mr Giannasi fell in love with the courgette and feta fritters that we had at our favourite restaurant, so I have been making my own version ever since. Along with the fritters and lamb I made Greek style butter beans and Tzatziki and warmed up a few Kalamata and Halkidiki olives.  I served all of this up on a plate, just for ease on a monday night, but these are great dishes to put out on the table, along with haloumi, hummus , souvlaki etc, and let everybody help themselves if you have friends around.

Courgette and Feta Fritters

Ingredients ( Makes 8 fritters)

1 courgette
1 large potato, preferably a dry potato such as Maris Piper or King Edward
100g feta cheese
30g cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 tsp dried oregano
small bunch fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper to season
1 egg
small cup of flour
olive oil for frying

Method

1. Grate the courgette into a large bowl and add a little salt, to dehydrate it. Leave for half an hour then drain the water from bowl. I always give an extra squeeze with hands to take out any excess water.
2. Boil the potato, allow to cool and add to the bowl along with all of the other ingredients and combine
3. Divide the mixture into 8 balls and put on a plate in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up slightly
4. Beat the egg in one bowl and add flour to another bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan then fry then dip the courgettes into the flour, then the egg and finally back into the flour before putting in the pan and cooking until golden brown. Be careful not to cook for too long as they will go a little sloppy but they will still taste great!

Lemon and Cumin Lamb Chops

Ingredients

4 lamb chops
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp parprika
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Simply mix the spices together in a cup along with the a little of the olive oil and lemon juice and coat the chops in the mixture. Leave for an hour or so and fry the lamb in olive oil for 4-5 minutes on each side. Allow to rest a little before serving.

' Giant ' Butter Beans in Tomato sauce

Ingredients

1 can of butter beans
1 can of tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 chopped onion
50ml white wine
salt and pepper to season
olive oil for frying

Method

1. Fry the chopped onion in a little olive oil, until soft, then add in the garlic and fry for another 20 seconds or so, be careful not to let the garlic burn.
2. Add in the tomatoes, herbs and wine and simmer for 30 minutes
3. Add in the drained butter beans and season. Cook for a further 15 minutes then serve.

Tzatiki

Ingredients

Small pot of natural greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cucumber
pinch of salt

Method

Grate the cucumber and use hands to squeeze out excess as much water as possible. Add the lemon juice, salt then garlic to the yoghurt then stir and combine with the cucumber. I always put in the fridge before serving to keep it cold and allow it to thicken a little.

Vada Pav

I have mentioned before that indian food is my absolute favourite thing to eat, I really could eat it every day. After a recent visit to the excellent Maharaja restaurant in Liverpool ( see review at Seven Streets) I was inspired to make some of my favourite Indian recipes. During my last visit to India I was brave enough to sample the local street food and boy am I glad that I did. Amongst my favourites was vada pav, a potato based take on a burger that originates from the Maharashtra region. If you are ever in Pune, visit ' JJ Garden ' for a vada fix but if not then give this recipe a try. Vada refers to the potato patty, that is quick and easy to make and includes ingredients that any spice lover will have in their cupboard.  Pav is the small bun, almost square in shape, that holds the patty. You can buy the buns if you are short on time but I made them using Dan Lepard's soft white bap recipe from Short and Sweet, just make them smaller than the recipe states. Traditionally vada pav is served with a green chutney, which I have included in my recipe, but you could replace with other Indian chutneys or simply fry a little chilli and onion add on top.

                               JJ's garden Pune, picture from Pune Diaries



Ingredients

 ( makes 10)

For the Vada

6 large potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1cm cube fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 -3 green chillies
6-8 curry leaves
small handful of fresh coriander
salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
small cup of gram flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
oil for frying

For the chutney

bunch fresh coriander
small handful of fresh mint
1 green chilli, finely chopped
juice of half lemon
1 tsp grated coconut ( optional)
1/2 clove garlic
1 tsp olive oil

Method

For the Vada

1. Boil the potatoes until soft and roughly mash in the pan.
2. Blend together the ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander with a little water, in a food processor until a paste is made
3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently cook the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves, until the seeds start to ' pop '.
4. Add the turmeric to the frying pan and stir then add in the mashed potatoes
5. Stir the mixture and mash until smooth but be careful not to let it get too runny. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Mix the gram flour, bicarbonate of soda, chilli powder and gram masala in a large bowl and add a little water to make a thick batter.
7. Divide the potato mixture into 10 ball shaped pieces, dip into batter and fry until golden brown. Remove from fryer and drain excess oil.

For the chutney roughly chop the coriander and mint and mix in a small bowl with all other ingredients.

To serve, take your pre-prepared pav and spread some of the chutney onto both sides. Pop in one of your warm pieces of vada and enjoy. If you do like your food with a little more kick then add a few extra chillies on top.  In Pune the locals wash their food down with sugar cane juice but I prefer with a beer or three.