Greek meze platter (How to make it at home)

Learn how to make a Greek meze platter and spend a Mediterranean night with your friends eating, drinking, laughing, and having fun! Serve with wine, ouzo, or tsipouro.

Are you having a few friends over and want to make something quick, easy but also impressive at the same time?

Or are you planning a lazy Mediterranean evening with your other half and searching for meze ideas for a quick snack to munch on over a glass (or two) of wine?

Well, this Greek meze (or mezze) platter recipe with olives, feta cheese, vegetables, boiled eggs, and one or two spreads is the way to go!

But what is a mezze menu?

Mezze is a type of small dishes of savory snacks that are served as a compliment to drinks. They can be warm or cold, and they can include vegetables, cheeses, dips, seafood, rusks, pita bread and many more (basically you can make anything a meze as long as you can serve it in the size of a bite).

So, you understand that the meze recipes are actually endless 🙂 You can find more information in this article from thekitchn.com about what is meze around the world.

Greek meze (also called mezze or even Greek tapas by some people) should be easy, fuss-free and delicious! That’s why the general idea is to use and combine ingredients and foods that need little or almost no preparation, so you can sit with your friends and enjoy your evening.

Also, a lot of recipes can be prepared one or two days before and stored in the fridge. There have been many times when my mom has prepared amazing meze dishes from leftovers we had in the fridge from the previous days.

There are a lot of mezethes (the plural of meze) in Greece and the places where you can enjoy it are called mezethopoleia (meaning the places that sell meze).

Usually, when you happen to be in such a place, you order some alcohol and a lot of small plates with different kind of foods, prepared in small bites, so that you can munch on them while enjoying your drink. Probably that’s why some call it Greek tapas 🙂

Traditionally and according to the Mediterranean spirit, tsipouro or ouzo is served with meze, but you can also drink wine or even this cucumber, lime and tsipouro cocktail which is served with one or two green olives 🙂

How to build a Greek meze platter (steps)

1. Use one or two spreads.

I’d suggest a lentil-based and a dairy-based. For the lentil-based one, I like to use my smooth homemade hummus recipe, a traditional side dish full of protein and fiber. You can also make some Greek fava (yellow split pea puree) or a bean dip. And keep in mind that all these recipes can be made a day ahead!

For the dairy-based spread, I just love to mix some Greek katiki with freshly grated black pepper, dried oregano and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Katiki (of Domokos) cheese is a white fresh cheese, with a fine, smooth texture, very pleasant aroma and a refreshing, slightly sour taste. Other options are Labneh (a cream cheese made from yogurt), a spicy feta dip called tirokafteri or even tzatziki.

2. Use a variety of vegetables.

Sliced tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cucumbers, and olives are a must. Add some roasted red bell peppers and you’re good to go (you can also buy the ones in a jar like these Mediterranean organic red peppers).

3. Use some boiled eggs.

Soft or hard boiled eggs when drizzled with e.v. olive oil and sprinkled with some salt and pepper are heaven! Especially if the eggs are still warm, they’re irresistible!

4. Use some hard yellow cheese.

Since we’re talking about a Greek platter, a good, matured kefalotiri or a Greek Gruyere are your best options. Gruyere from Naksos island or Crete are my favorite. However any other yellow cheese you like will do.

5. Use something bread-like.

Breadsticks, homemade pita bread, or rusks are great! If you don’t have any of that, fresh bread, toasted bread and crackers are also great.

6. Use some nuts.

Greek cuisine makes good use of many nuts like almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Other nuts that will go well with the rest of the ingredients on the platter are hazelnuts, cashews and Brazil nuts. If they’re roasted they’ll taste even better. Oh, and if you happen to have some dried fruit like raisins, apricots or prunes, add some of that too.

7. If you’re not vegetarian, use some anchovies

8. Drizzle everything with e.v. olive oil

An extra virgin, early harvest olive oil will add the perfect peppery notes to the platter (in addition with many mono-unsaturated fats and many many many antioxidants!). Also it doesn’t hurt to sprinkle with dried oregano and fresh chopped parsley. And if you happen to have any capers, add a spoonful or two!

Some notes/tips:

• Another delicious spread/dip is this smoky Baba Ganoush. Also, this avocado hummus from Pepper Delight is a great choice!
• Instead of katiki, you can use Tzatziki (Greek yogurt and garlic dip) or tirokafteri (spicy whipped feta cheese with some milk).
• This Greek meze platter can be made vegetarian if you omit the anchovies

For even more inspiration you can read this Roasted Red Pepper Meze Platter post from Half Baked Harvest

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