A great dip for the hot season is this Avocado and Tahini dip. It goes well with BBQ food but is also a fabulous bread spread. The Avocado Tahini Dip is the Mediterranean version of the Guacamole.

Preparation time: 8 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Boil the unpeeled garlic in a bit of water for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the avocado and cut it into pieces. Put into a mixer. Add the Tahini, lemon juice, some chopped mint and parsley. Drizzle some oil over it.

Remove the garlic from the water, peel it and add it to the mixer. Blend ingredients until smooth.
Season with salt and chili.

Hummus? Again chick peas? Yes, but again a new version. This time I have mixed some of my favorite ingredients to a mezze or dip. Beet root, chickpeas, garlic and Tahini. The result is a Hummus with beet root which dies not only have a great color but also a fantastic taste. The hummus gets a sweet and earthy touch from the beets, which fits very well.

Preparation time: 5 minutes + soaking the chickpeas in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas over night, then drain them. Boil them in water for 10 minutes until they are soft. You may add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the boiling water to take the edge off the garlic.

Drain the chickpeas and put into a blender. Peel the garlic and add. Add as well the Tahini, the lemon juice, some olive oil and the beet root.

Mix until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip: You can also add some cumin for seasoning.

The weather is getting warmer and it is time to come up with some light dishes. Besides that I discovered that I had left out one of the Greek classics. The Tzaziki. Many of you will say now “well that just sounds like the Turkish Cacik!” And I would agree.
This Yogurt sauce is the perfect dip but also is perfect for barbecue. It also goes well with fried food like calamari.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Peel the cucumber, then remove the soft inside with a spoon. Shred the cucumber into a bowl.

Chop up the garlic then crush ist with the flat side of a big kitchen knife. Use some sea salt to turn it into a paste while crushing it.Put it into a bowl and bix it with olive oil and some pepper.

Now add the chopped dill and the yogurt. Now mix this sauce with the cucumber.

Fridge and serve chilled.

I thought of making a soup when I bought the fresh spinach. But then I changed my mind and turned it into a dip. The creamy spinach with some shallots and sherry tastes great, the Greek yogurt gives it the right touch of acidity.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
easy to do recipe

Preparation:

cube the onions and fry them in olive oil until they change colour. Add the sherry and simmer for a few minutes.

Boil the spinach for some minutes, then drain and press the water out of the spinach while in the drainer. Let the spinach cool down a bit before doing so.

Add the spinach, the onions a hint of nutmeg and the yogurt to a mixer. Season with salt and pepper and blend until creamy.

Serve with rusks or crackers.

Olive paste allways comes in handy. I spread it on crackers but also use it with pasta dishes or vegetable dishes. It allways adds a nice touch to the meal. Here I present a green olive paste.

preparation time: 10 minutes

very simpe recioe

Preparation:

Pit the olives and put them into a blender. Add the other ingredients. Process them until you have a fine paste. You may want to add some olive oil it the paste seem too dry.

Store in a jar in the fridge. It stores well fro up to two weeks, though it rarely lasts for that long.

Taramosalata on Friganies

The Taramosalata is, besides the Tsatziki, the most classical Greek Mezze. Interestingly enough you can find this dish as well in Turky a lot. This salad is mainly made out of fish roe from cod or carp, Onion and Olive Oil. Potatoes or bread are sometimes added to the dip. Taramosalata is eaten with bread but also often served with vegetables to dip into.

Preparation time: 6 minutes
Very simple recipe

Ingredients :

Preparation:

It is best if you use your food processor for the whole process.
Chop the onion finely. Add the Taramas and the Lemon and blend with the lemon. Slowly add the oil while blending the mixture.
A creamy mixture will come out that has the texture of mayonnaise. In the end I am adding a bit bread that got soaked in water and blend that as well.
Season with some pepper. Salt is not needed as the fish roe is salty in itself.

The German version of “Taramosalata” you can find here.

Parsley Salad

In Greece often dishes are considered a salad that in the rest of the world would be considered a dip. The same occurs with this salad. It falls under the category “Mezze” and served with a slice of bread. It goes great with Tsipouro, Ouzo or a glass of wine.

Preparation time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Simple recipe

Ingredients :

Reparation:

Free the parsley of the stems. Wash it, dry it a bit and put it into a mixer. Blend a minute until the parsley is blended fine. Add the garlic and chop again.
Soak the bread in a bit of water. Wring the bread and put it into the blender. Add Salt, Pepper, Lemon juice and the oil. Blend again.

read the German version of the recipe “Petersilie Salat” here.

Auberginensalat - Melintsanosalata

The Greek Eggplant Salad – Melintsanosalata – is very similar to the Baba Ganoush. The only difference is the use of Tahini, that is not used at all in the Greek Eggplant Salad. Besides that you can prepare the salad very creatively. I am describing here the basic recipe which you can expand according to your taste. You can add yoghurt, parsley, capers, chopped tomatoes, roasted onions or even mayonnaise.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 15-30 minutes
Very simple

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Wash the eggplants and put them into the pre-heated oven at 220 degrees centigrade. Bake them until they are soft and the skin bubbles. (approx. 30 minutes according to the size). For the last 15 minutes of the baking time put the garlic cloves into the oven. That takes the edge off the garlic.
Let the eggplants cool down a bit, then peel them. The skin will come off easily. Put one half of the eggplants into the blender and chop the other half in small cubes.

Mix both halves in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, the oil, the garlic and season all with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some cummin on top.

click here to read the German version of the recipe “Griechischer Auberginensalat”