A Reprise of Greek Appetizers
Jul 14th, 2008 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Appetizer, Bread, Cheese, Dips, Fruit, Greek, Meze, Olive Oil, Recipe
Ask a bunch of Greeks over for dinner and drinks and it’s expected that your spread’s going to have some dips for noshing on .
In continuing with my replay of my Birthday dinner, today I’m offering up three Greek dips, Cretan Dakos and to help stave off palate fatigue, a simple and delicious fruit salad.
To greet my hungry guests…I surprised them with a platter of dressed Cretan Dakos. These double-baked rusks get drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, some grated ripe tomatoes and finished off with crumbled Greek feta and pungent Greek oregano.
I then presented a trio of dips…first up was Tzatziki. Strained Greek yogurt that’s flavoured with minced garlic and fresh dill and spiked with a shot of Ouzo. The Tzatziki vanished by the time the souvlaki was served.
Next is a specialty of Thessalonki called Htipiti or Tyrokafteri. It’s a dip of mashed hot banana pepper, Greek feta and Myzithra cheeses and finished off with some good extra-virgin olive oil.
The last dip and one of my favourites is Melitzanosalata. It’s a dip of roasted eggplant, garlic, olive oil and balanced with some chopped fresh parsley. To truly make this dip a head turner, the eggplants have to be roasted over open coals or at the very least, on a gas grill.
Finally, I’ve been reading alot about palate fatigue and I wanted to offer a course that would “cleanse” my guests palates.
Palate fatigue occurs when one is presented with multiple rich savory courses in a row. This fruit salad gave my guests a break as there were more delicious food to be had through the course of the night.
Taken from the latest issue of Canadian Living Magazine, this Mango Melon Salad was the perfect cleanser – offering a palate a break from the rich flavours, even thought we were only into the appetizers.
It’s quick, it’s summer and mangos are easily available now through much of the world. In fact, the mango has out-shined the banana as the most popular fruit!
Mango Melon Salad
3 Tbsp. each lime and liquid honey
2 cups of cubed mango
2 cups of cubed cantaloupe
2 cups of cubed watermelon
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
- In a microwave, zap your mint juice and honey for 30 seconds and then whisk to combine. Let cool.
- Add mango, watermelon and cantaloupe, lime juice, honey and mint in a bowl and toss gently to combine. Serve slightly chilled.
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Sounds like you had a fantastic B-day surrounded by friends,good food and great wines:D
I didn’t know to put Ouzo in Tzatziki. Excellent. What doesn’t improve with a splash of booze?
I love your fruit presentation, martini glass, shards of mint…my palate is cleansed and ready for the next course Peter.
My mom’s side of the family, half of which came from Thessaloniki during the ‘23 population exchange makes a dish similar to htipiti; they fry the peppers rather than roasting them. I definitely want to try the roasted version, too.
What a feast!! I love dips, especially Greek ones – such fresh flavours. Lso love the fruit salad as a palate cleanser – a lot prettier than most boring sorbets too.