Greek Mezze Platter

Preperation time
m
Skills level

Serving size

Country of origin

Ingredients

  • 1(12 piece) box frozen Spinach and Feta Spanokopita (Trader Joe's)
  • 1 (8 ounce) jar Kalamata Olives
  • 1 (10 ounce) package pita, cut into triangular pieces
  • 1 (6 ounce) jar feta cheese, chunks
  • 1 (12 ounce) bag radishes, mixed colors
  • 2 (9 ounce) containers stuffed grape leaves
  • 1 (8 ounce) store-bought eggplant dip
  • 1 (14 ounce) package mini cucumbers
  • 1 (12 ounce) container artichokes
  • 2 ( 8 ounce) containers hummus or homemade "see recipe"
  • Homemade Keftedes "Greek Meatballs), 20 meatballs
  • Homemade Tzadiki
  • one head purple endives
  • large platter to serve and mini bowls for olives, hummus and feta
  • Garnish: crispy chick peas, red chili flakes, mint leaves, fresh dill, slices of cucumber, olive oil, lemon slices
  • one head red cabbage to create a bowl for the eggplant dip, then stick endives all around
Recipe Type:
Course:

Everyone I know either likes or LOVES Greek food. What’s not to love? It’s always so healthy and the taste can’t be beat! If you are a vegetarian, skip the beef meatballs and instead offer my Eggplant Meatballs (or balls) or Cauliflower Fritters – both great substitutes! Or you can skip them all together.  Make what you can and buy the rest! Entertaining should be fun, and not too time-consuming.

Preparing the Greek Meatballs:

Greek (Keftedes) Meatballs Recipe
Makes 20-25 meatballs

1.5 lbs. ground beef

½ red onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup Panko Italian style breadcrumbs

½ cup milk OR one large egg

(OR you may use a few slices of white bread, no crust soaked in milk in lieu of breadcrumbs)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped plus more for garnish

4 mint leaves chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Red chili flakes, optional

Picks for serving and parsley leaves for garnish

As always with any meat preparation, cook meat through until no longer pink. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well using your hands until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Make about 20-25 golf-sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Be sure to grease the pan with some olive oil so meatballs do not stick.

Next, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place meatballs in the oven until cooked through, roughly 25-30 minutes. Add to a saute pan with a little beef broth and place a lid on them for an additional 10 minutes. This will add a lot of moisture and ensure that they are cooked through. Check internal temp before serving!

If you want them crispy on the outside, the traditional way to serve these, is to fry these in vegetable oil until crispy and cooked through. Cut one open to be sure it’s cooked! My Greek friend says this is the ONLY way they did it growing up! You didn’t always have an oven accessible and that’s how this recipe got its start in the frying pan.  This will increase the fat content significantly! Be sure to drain these on a papertowel.

Set these aside.

 

Garlic Hummus Recipe:

1 large can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, retain some liquid

2 cloves garlic, saute is optional

1 lemon squeezed

2 tablespoons of tahini, optional

A good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Ground sea salt

Red chili flakes for an added kick

Garnish: red chili flakes, store-bought crispy chickpeas, olive oil, and dried parsley flakes

Combine the drained chickpeas along with, *2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons of tahini (or more), a few tablespoons of the liquid from the chickpeas, a good drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and a dash of red chili flakes. Pulsate on high adding more oil as needed or even a splash of water until you have achieved the desired consistency. Place inside a bowl and smear up the sides of the bowl. Add the garnish to jazz it up and make it visually appealing.

*If you wish to saute the garlic to take away the strong flavor, add to a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and saute until translucent. You may add up to 3 cloves.

 

Tzatziki Dip Recipe

1 cup 2 % yogurt

1 lemon squeezed

1-2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

1 tablespoon sour cream, optional (not a typical ingredient)

½ cup chopped cucumbers

Sea salt to taste

Pulsate all the above ingredients except the dill. Add the dill last once everything is completely combined and dip is smooth. You may quickly pulsate the chopped dill or mix in a bowl.

Eggplant & Pepper Dip

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed

½ yellow onion, diced

½ jar prepared tomato sauce

2 slices jarred red peppers in vinegar

2 cloves garlic, diced

Sherry vinegar, optional

A good quality extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste!

Saute the garlic and onions in a pan with olive oil. Add the cubed eggplant along with a little water and place the lid on tight to let the eggplant simmer. Add a drizzle of olive oil for flavor. After 15-20 minutes this should be translucent and soft. Add in the sauce to the pan. Transfer to a blender and add the peppers. A drizzle of sherry vinegar is always nice. Pulsate until chunky, not too smooth, add sea salt to taste! If you prefer to buy it, Trader Joe’s sells a very good eggplant & pepper dip if you can find it! Use the endives for scooping this up – how cute is that!  Add any seasonings you like to further intensify the flavors, even some Greek seasonings.

Assemble the platter…

Heat the Spanokopita according to the directions on the box. In the meantime, cut up the pita into triangles for easy dipping. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise. Cut a few radishes in half, keep some whole. Place the Tzatziki in a bowl and garnish with dill. Place the olives in a bowl. Add the bowls to the platter along with the hummus. Fan the pita around the hummus bowl. You may add the chunks of feta to a bowl OR use as fill in once the platter is assembled.

Add all the ingredients to the platter, and some garnish. The eggplant dip will go inside the red cabbage bowl and then stick the edives all around for easy scooping. Stick the meatballs on a appetizer fork and place by the tzatziki dip. Garnish with mint leaves and lemons slices.The Spanokopita can go all around the edges of the platter. Do the meatballs and Spanokopita last so they are warm when you put them out.

This is a very eye-catching display that will surely wow your guests!  Enjoy!