We are a nation of grazers. ‘Picky-bits’ or if you’re a proper Northerner, ‘picky-tea’, has become more popular than ever as we mix the traditional with the more exotic, combine the shop-bought with the homemade and serve up a myriad of flavour combinations with crisps, bread, crackers and even crudités, if we’re feeling fancy.
Whilst charcuterie boards have become de rigueur across the UK, I still think nothing beats a proper pick ’n’ mix of the savoury kind and this summer, I am all about the mishmash of small plates and great flavours to feed the family or feed a crowd.
It always makes me giggle to think that this is a relatively new concept for us Brits because for many cultures, eating small plates of often humble or simple dishes, is really commonplace and thus embraced in a way that we only tend to do in summer. For us Brits, tapas and mezze spring to mind but it’s not just Spaniards, Greeks and Turks who enjoy this style of eating… right the way through the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia, up to China, Korea and Japan, smaller portions are more common and they invite the diner to consume a larger variety of dishes as part of one meal.
I mean, it’s not broke, is it?
To be fair, while some Middle Eastern countries do eat this way quite regularly, we Persians do not. We are much more like Brits and eat big, hearty meals, although we do have lots of dishes on offer, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, comes in a small plate or small portion. It is perfectly normal to serve six or more dishes for a regular family meal. Nothing is fancy but usually there’s a stew, rice, some Persian cheese and bread, a salad, an aubergine dip or other side dishes ‒ always way too much food and enough leftovers to feed everyone twice over.
However, I have to embrace the British side and I love creating manageable buffets for friends and family where there are lots of dishes but, in my case, true to form, sometimes I cheat with some feta, a tin of chickpeas given the special treatment and just raid my dried herb and spice rack to zhuzh things up and pack in the flavour.
This month’s recipe is my perfect platter of readily available ingredients, like tinned chickpeas, eggs and feta, with a few extra bits but packed full of flavour and given the royal treatment.
All you need is bread, good drinks and great company and I promise you, this kind of entertaining will get you through the sunshine months with ease and plenty of enjoyment. Add in whatever you like, like shop-bought hummus (please add extra salt and some lemon juice and olive oil to make it MUCH more tasty) and some cheese or slices of meats.
Whatever takes your fancy, you’ve got it all in hand. So get ready for a wonderful summer ahead and let’s just hope the sun comes out and shines for us all..
My Platter of Dreams
This collection of wonderful things that Persians, Arabs and Turks like to graze on really is everything I could hope to have served to me for a casual lunch with friends. All the elements are merely suggestions, but they certainly go well together and you can increase or decrease the offering and add your own twists very easily, exactly as you please. Get creative – and enjoy!
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
Vegetarian
3 medium eggs
150g baby plum tomatoes, halved
½ large cucumber, diced
½ red onion, diced
Olive oil
1tsp dried wild oregano, plus extra for sprinkling
1tsp pul biber chilli flakes,
Plus extra for sprinkling
400g can chickpeas, drained
2tsp za’atar, plus extra to serve
Juice of ½ lemon
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
½ packet (about 15g) of fresh coriander, finely chopped
250g thick Greek yogurt
200g feta cheese, broken into 10-12 large chunks
Handful of pitted Kalamata olives
Handful of pitted green olives
Bread, to serve (optional)
Method
Cook the eggs in a small saucepan of boiling water for 7 minutes or so, then drain and cool under cold running water. Once cooled, shell, halve and set aside.
Put the tomatoes, cucumber and onion into a mixing bowl, add some salt and pepper, a light drizzle of olive oil, the oregano and pul biber and mix together.
In another bowl, mix the chickpeas with the za’atar, lemon juice, a light drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and the coriander.
Choose the largest platter you can find. Spoon the yogurt into a small bowl or into a corner of the platter.
Arrange the tomato mixture, chickpeas, egg halves, feta and olives on the platter, drizzle the yogurt and feta with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle some extra oregano and pul biber wherever you like.
In another small bowl, add extra za’atar mixed with a little olive oil for drizzling, and serve with bread, if desired.
Recipe from Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour, £26, published by Aster
