Making mezedes

Photo by Jennifer Reynolds

These Greek appetizers will satisfy guests as they wait for main meal

Greek Orthodox Easter, which is April 8, is my family’s biggest holiday of the year. About 200 of our closest relatives and friends come to our home to eat, drink and celebrate Greek-style.

I love serving the traditional foods made from my Yia Yia’s recipes, complete with roasting lambs on a spit. Mezedes are the appetizers that are popular with our cuisine. You don’t have to be Greek to make them. Here are some of my quick, easy mezedes to put out while the anticipation of the main course builds. Opa!

Spanakopita

INGREDIENTS

10 ounces of fresh baby spinach, cut small

1 cup of yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 beaten eggs

6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

½ teaspoon salt

2 dashes nutmeg

30 mini phyllo shells (Or, you can fold in fillo sheets, but that’s another lesson.)

DIRECTIONS

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and stir until wilted and mixed with onion. Combine feta, eggs, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Once spinach is cooled, add to feta mixture and stir well. Spoon into pastry shells and bake at 350 F for 17 minutes.

Tzatziki

INGREDIENTS

2 cups plain yogurt

2 large cucumbers

2 cloves garlic minced

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh dill

DIRECTIONS

Drain yogurt or the tzatziki will be watery. Peel, seed, grate and lightly salt cucumbers. Set aside and then drain any extra liquid from cucumber. Add garlic, lemon juice, olive and dill to cucumbers and mix well. Add drained yogurt and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve with cucumbers and pita bread.

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