Buchinger Mezze Recipes

Healthy, anti-inflammatory nutrition and enjoyment in one. One of our new favourites from the BUCHINGER kitchen is our mezze platter, laden with healthy, creative and anti-inflammatory dishes. Our mezze includes a fresh tabouleh salad, an aubergine salad (baba ganoush), a sweet pepper-and-walnut dip (muhammara), another aubergine salad (mutabbal), a sweet potato-and-banana curry, hummus and a flatbread. Enjoy!

Aubergine Salad (Baba Ganoush)

Ingredients for four people

2 aubergines

1/2 red pepper

1/2 bunch parsley 

1/2 tsp cumin 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sumac

A little lemon juice

Olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 240 °C top/bottom heat.

Prick aubergines all round with a fork and bake for 40 minutes on a wire rack without baking paper. Turn after 20 minutes.

Take the aubergines out of the oven and leave in a bowl to cool slightly. The skin is now easy to peel off.

Cut the pepper into small cubes and finely chop the parsley. Mash the flesh of the aubergine with a fork and mix with the remaining ingredients.

Tabouleh

Ingredients for four people

1 bunch parsley

50 g bulgur

8 peppermint leaves

1/2 onion

The seeds of half a pomegranate

15 cherry tomatoes

3 tsps lemon juice

4 tbsps olive oil

Pinch of salt

Preparation

Cook the bulgur in stock according to the instructions on the pack.

Cut the tomatoes and onions into small cubes and knock the seeds out of the pomegranate shell. Then use a sharp knife to cut the mint and parsley into thin strips.

Now put the herbs, onion, tomatoes, the cooled bulgur and the pomegranate seeds into a salad bowl and mix thoroughly before adding the dressing. For the dressing, dissolve 1–2 pinches of salt in the lemon juice, then add olive oil and blend well.

RED PEPPER-AND-WALNUT DIP (MUHAMMARA)

Ingredients for four people

1 kg red peppers

75 g zwieback (bread-based rusk), broken into pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

125 g walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 tsps lemon juice

1 tsp cumin, ground 

1 heaped tsp chilli flakes

2 tbsps olive oil 

Preparation

Grill the red pepper under the oven grill until the skin turns black. Then cover and leave to cool before stripping off the skin and removing the seeds. Divide into pieces. Mix with the other ingredients to form a coarse paste. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the mixture in a covered bowl in the fridge for at least 8 hours to allow the flavours to develop. Before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over the muhammara.

AUBERGINE SALAD WITH YOGHURT (MUTABBAL)

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

2 aubergines

1 clove garlic

2 tbsps tahini

60 g yoghurt, natural

3 tbsps lemon juice

1 pinch salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsps olive oil

6 sprigs parsley, flat-leafed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 240 °C (fan-assisted 220 °C) and cover a baking tray with baking paper.

Wash, dry and halve the aubergines lengthwise. Prick the skin several times with a knife. Then lay the halves on the baking tray, skin side up, and slide into the preheated oven on the second runner and bake for roughly 30 minutes.

Then leave the aubergines to cool off for 20 minutes. In the meantime, peel and chop the garlic. Wash the parsley, shake it dry, pull off the leaves and chop finely.

Spoon the aubergine flesh out of the skin. Coarsely chop one half of the aubergine, put the other half into a mixing bowl and add the garlic, yoghurt, tahini and half of the olive oil. Puree all of the ingredients using a hand or jug blender, then stir in the chopped aubergine.

Using a spoon, transfer the aubergine mixture onto a plate and press several little hollows in the surface. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

SWEET POTATO-AND-BANANA CURRY

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

CURRY:

2 tbsps peanut oil or sesame oil

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 piece ginger, thumb-sized 

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 sweet potato, large 

1 carrot

100 ml white wine, alternatively 100 ml vegetable stock

400 ml coconut milk

1/2 lemon, squeezed 

1 banana

1–2 tbsps almond butter

4 small tomatoes

1 tsp turmeric, ground

½ tsp cumin, ground

A little salt and pepper

Chilli to taste

 

TOPPING:

2 tbsps peanut or sesame oil

1 pack smoked tofu

100 g sugar snap peas

50 g peanuts

A little fresh, chopped coriander to taste

Preparation

Finely chop onion and garlic and brown in a pan with 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Grate in the ginger and add the tomato purée. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes and add to the pan. Cut the carrot into thin slices and also add to the pan.

Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin and a little chilli, and fry for 10 minutes. Pour on the white wine and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid has been boiled off.

Mix the contents of the pan with three quarters of the banana, the almond butter and the coconut milk and continue to simmer over a low heat for another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the topping by cutting the smoked tofu into small cubes and searing it in the oil with the sugar snap peas in a second pan until the tofu is golden brown. Season with salt, pepper and a little cumin. Push the contents of the pan to one side and brown the peanuts on the empty side.

Chop the cocktail tomatoes into small pieces and add to the curry, then add the lemon juice and mix everything thoroughly.

To garnish, put the curry into dishes and sprinkle over the topping and the last quarter of the banana, and season to taste with fresh coriander.

CHICKPEA HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

350 g (drained net weight) precooked chickpeas (from a can or jar)

1 bunch coriander

1 clove garlic

½ lemon

6 tbsps chickpea liquid (from the can or jar)

2 tbsps olive oil

2 tbsps tahini (sesame paste)

½ tsp ground cumin

Salt, pepper

PREPARATION

Pour the chickpeas into a sieve, catching the liquid in a bowl. Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and drain.

Wash the coriander, shake it dry and chop. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Squeeze the lemon. Put the drained chickpeas into a tall container, setting 1 tablespoon aside for the garnish. Add 6 tablespoons of the chickpea liquid, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini and garlic, and puree with a hand blender.

Season the hummus with cumin, salt and pepper. Transfer to a dish and sprinkle with coriander and the remaining chickpeas.

Flat Bread

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE

250 g flour

4.50 ml oil

1/2 cube yeast

360 ml water

10 g sea salt

Preparation

Knead the flour, oil, salt, yeast and water into a smooth dough. Then grease a bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl, where it should be left to prove for a rest period of about 1.5 hours.

At the end of the rest period, spread the dough on a floured work surface and split it into two pieces of equal size. The dough must now be carefully shaped into an oval and left to rest for another 20 minutes.

Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with a little water, making sure no holes are formed. Leave to prove for a further 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to approx. 250 °C. Bake the flatbreads for approx. 7–9 minutes.