Greek appetizers includes a selection of Spiced Red Pepper Humus, cool and creamy Tzatziki dip, Peta Chips, Feta Cheese Wafers and Watermelon/Feta Meze.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: Feta, hummus, tzatziki dip, watermelon
Servings: 8
Author: Hummus & Pita Chips recipes found on allrecipes & Tzatziki Dip, Feta Cheese Wafers and Watermelon and Feta Meze adapted from Lemon and Olives food blog recipes
Ingredients
Spiced Red Pepper Hummus
115 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
14-6 ounce jar roasted red peppers
2tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
1 1/2tablespoonstahinisesame paste
1cloveminced garlic
1/2teaspooncumin
1/4teaspooncayenne pepper
1/4teaspoonsalt
1tablespoonchopped fresh parsley or oregano
Tzatziki Dip
17ouncesplain Greek yogurtI recommend Fage
3tablespoonsolive oil
1cucumberpeeled and grated (I used English cucumber)
1/2lemonjuiced
1-2teaspoonssaltuse 1 teaspoon, taste and add more if desired
fresh ground black pepperto taste
2tablespoonschopped fresh dill
1-2teaspoonsred wine vinegar
1small clove garlicminced
Pita Chips
12pita pocket halves or 6 whole pita bread rounds
1/2cupolive oil
dried basil
dried oregano
kosher salt or garlic salt
Feta Cheese Wafers
1/2cupflour
1/2stick butterat room temperature, cut into pieces
1/3cupcrumbled feta
1egg
salt & pepper to taste
shot glass
parchment paper
Watermelon and Feta Meze (appetizer)
1small to medium sized watermelonchilled
1block feta cheese
toothpicks
Instructions
Spiced Red Pepper Hummus
In blender or food processor, puree chickpeas, red pepper, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne and salt. Process thoroughly until mixture is fairly smooth and slightly fluffy. Be sure to scrape the mixture from the sides between pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate, covered, at least one hour and up to 3 days in advance. Return to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle the hummus with chopped parsley or oregano before serving.
Tzatziki Dip
Place Greek yogurt in bowl. Grate cucumber on plate, then squeeze out all the juice from the cucumber. Add the cucumber to the yogurt along with the remaining ingredients. Blend thoroughly and refrigerate for a minimum of 4-6 hours, or preferable overnight. Stir and serve.
Pita Chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you are starting with whole round pita breads, split them in into two halves (like you would to make to sandwiches.) Then cut along the edge of the pita half to separate the 2 sides so you end up with a single layer. Cut each of these halves into 3 wedges. A full round pita bread will yield 12 wedges. If you are starting with pita halves, you'll have 6 wedges each.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, black pepper, basil and oregano. Brush the wedge with the oil mixture. Sprinkle each chip with bit of kosher salt or garlic salt. Bake in preheated oven for about 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch them carefully because they burn easily. I usually stand by with a tongs to remove the thinner wedges which brown more quickly than the thicker ones.
Feta Cheese Wafers
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add flour, butter, feta and salt & pepper to taste, into food processor. Blend until crumbled. Empty mixture into bowl and press into a ball.
Sprinkle flour onto a rolling surface and dust rolling pin. Roll dough out to a thin sheet and use the shot glass to cut small rounds. Place on parchment lined sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Gather up remaining scrapes and re-roll, cut and bake remaining wafers.
Watermelon and Feta Meze (Appetizers)
Remove rind from watermelon and cut into pieces about 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. Cut feta into small slabs about 1 inch by 1 inch. Hint - do a test run before cutting all of the watermelon and feta by and threading a few samples onto toothpick. You want both the watermelon and feta to be thin enough to fit on toothpick but thick enough to not slide off when you pick it up.
After you've cut the watermelon and feta pieces, it works best to create a little stack with two pieces of watermelon with a feta piece in the middle and push the toothpick through the stack. That way the feta will be less likely to break. Repeat until you've made the desired quantity and serve. These are best made and served immediately.