In spring, when skies turn from winter’s gloomy grey to sea blue, where better to look for culinary inspiration than the Mediterranean?
Roasted Eggplant and Feta dip
Hummus
Skordalia
Minted Orzo Pilaf
Warm White Bean and Arugula Salad
Leg of Lamb Fines Herbes
For centuries, the region’s vibrant palette of brilliant reds and yellows, deep aubergines and rich greens have unfailingly seduced palates far beyond its bordering countries.
While Greece is most readily acknowledged as the seat of the modern Mediterranean diet, Mediterranean cuisine represents a blending of all the culinary cultures adjacent to the deep blue sea, from the exotic seafoods and vegetable-based sauces of Southern and Eastern Europe to the dried fruits and hearty tajines of Northern Africa. At its heart, it is considered the healthiest cuisine because it is closest to what the earth yields—no complicated sauces, no complex concoctions; just meats, fruits, nuts, vegetables and legumes, in all their Technicolor glory.
Leg of Lamb Fines Herbes
1 leg of lamb
Fines Herbes mix (parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, marjoram, lavender, lemon balm)
salt and pepper to taste
Season lamb generously with seasonings, and roast at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes per pound, until internal temperature reaches 145 to 160 on thermometer (for medium rare to medium).
Serves 4 to 6
Warm White Bean and Arugula Salad
2 cups cannellini beans
½ pound arugula
¼ cup sliced red onions
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
bay leaf
Soak cannellini beans overnight. Drain. Boil in 2 quarts water, skimming foam from top. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Add salt and bay leaf, and simmer until tender. Cool in cooking liquid and drain.
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add lemon juice. Add all to drained beans. Serve over arugula.
Serves 4 to 6
Minted Orzo Pilaf
2 cups cooked orzo
½ cup finely diced onion
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients. Heat until warm.
Serves 4
Hummus
4 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1 ½ cups tahini
juice of 2 ½ lemons
6 garlic cloves
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups liquid reserved from cooking chickpeas
Put chickpeas in saucepan, and cover with water plus 3 inches. Skim foam while cooking. Add salt halfway through cooking process. Cook until soft. Puree chickpeas with remaining ingredients, adding olive oil and cooking liquid to thin to desired consistency.
Serve with pita.
Serves 4 to 6
Roasted Eggplant
and Feta dip
2 large eggplants
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
½ cup each red and green pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Poke holes with fork in eggplants and roast at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until soft. Cool. Cut eggplants in half and scoop out flesh. Mix in large bowl with lemon juice. Add oil and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Add pinch of sugar if needed to balance salt.
Serve with pita chips.
Serves 8 to 10
Skordalia
3 medium russet potatoes
5 cloves garlic
½ cup whole blanched almonds
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup water from cooked potatoes
Cut potatoes in chunks, and boil in salted water until soft, reserving ½ cup water. Purée potatoes with garlic, almonds, lemon juice and vinegar. Slowly add olive oil. Thin consistency to desired thickness with reserved potato water.
Serve with pita chips or bread.
Serves 4 to 6