Yes, we are being inundated with Valentine’s Day everything, but why should this be the one day you forget the ladies who stand with you? Gather your squad around for Galentine's Day and just be; friends who go through thick and thin together and also every seemingly humdrum, but v. important, event in between. And how about ditching the tried and true cheese board to present this stunning Mezze Platter? We’ve got lovely, smokey Baba Ghanoush, we’ve got creamy Hummus, there’s a fresh Shirazi Salad and Muhammara, a spicy red pepper dip. A recent pic on the @feedfeed insta inspired us and we had to make this! We have our own Hummus recipe and @jamieoliver 's take on Baba Ghanoush, but the Shirazi Salad and the Muhammara recipe hail from @mollyjean4 of the feedfeed. Especially the Muhammara recipe was such an amazing find, it’s going to be on regular rotation from now on! There is a bit of assembly required, but if you spread it out a bit over a day or two, it won’t be so daunting. And everything is whipped up fairly quickly with a food processor or an immersion blender. We served it with @traderjoes pita chips, gluten-free crispbread and sundried cherry tomatoes, colorful crudités, pistachios, almonds and pomegranate. Now send out an invite and have those gals over!
Ingredients Hummus
juice of 3 lemons
4 tbsp tahini paste (stir the tahini well before measuring it out!)
2 cans chickpeas, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Place the lemon juice and the tahini paste in a food processor and give it a good whizz for at least a minute. Then add the chickpeas, chickpea liquid, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and a few twists of the paper mill. Blend until you have your desired smoothness (we like ours fairly chunky, but that’s totally up to you!). While still blending, slowly pour the olive oil into the blender in a steady stream. This will help make the hummus extra creamy! If you’re using an immersion blender, place all the ingredients in a high bowl and blend. Then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Before you serve, swirl some extra olive oil on top as well as some more pepper.
Ingredients Shirazi Salad
1 medium english cucumber, halved, seeds discarded and diced
2 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup), then drained
1/4 cup red onion, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon mint, chopped
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredients Muhammara
1 (16.2 ounce, 175 g) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 lemon, juiced and zested (zest first and then juice!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Flat leaf parsley as a garnish
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until mostly smooth, about 30 seconds. Alternatively place all the ingredients in a high bowl and wield your immersion blender until mostly smooth. Serve with some parsley as a garnish.
Ingredients Baba Ghanoush
3 medium aubergines (eggplants)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon cumin
extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Pomegranate seeds as garnish
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). On a chopping board, cut the aubergines in half lengthways. Score the flesh sides in a crisscross pattern, making sure you don’t cut through the skins. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then toss to coat. Arrange on a baking tray, flesh-side facing up, then bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, or until soft. Using oven gloves, remove the aubergine from the oven, then leave aside to cool. Peel and roughly chop the garlic, then place in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, tahini, cumin, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the aubergine, discarding the skin. Blend to a nice thick dip. Again, make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like. Have a taste and add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper if you think you think it needs it. Serve with sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
You can serve this mezze platter with any kind of crackers and bread, though anything pita works especially well with all the flavors. Crudités and nuts are essential; the more colorful, the better!
