Mediterranean

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Diane Kochilas's book Meze: Small Plates to Savor and Share from the Mediterranean Table. Kochilas also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Kochilas and Greek cuisine, click here. Onions, cheese, and yogurt pies abound in the north of Greece, especially in shepherds' communities where dairy products are daily staples. This recipe is culled from that tradition, but instead of preparing a whole sheet pan with homemade phyllo, I have reworked it to make it accessible and more in tune with the meze style of eating.

Malta This thin, cookie-like tart with a lattice crust is offered on a feast day that commemorates the birth of the Virgin Mary and the exit of the Turks in 1565.

Chickpea fritters laced with rosemary are common in parts of France and Italy. For a terrific side dish that serves eight, top these latkes with a quick sauce made by stirring two tablespoons dried mint into one cup plain yogurt, and offer with fish. Or drizzle the latkes with pomegranate molasses (found at Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets), and serve with meat or poultry.

Although bay leaves in this recipe smell delicious and look enticing, they should not be eaten because of their sharp edges.

The hands-off process of straining yogurt overnight yields labneh, a thicker, creamy spread you’ll use in everything from dips to dressings.

This greener-than-green hummus is no side dip—the crisp dolmades on top turn it into a full meal.

Did somebody say fried cheese? Halloumi drizzled with honey and aromatic thyme makes for an ideal sweet-salty-crunchy appetizer.

For this dinner-worthy sandwich, you’ll sear the eggplant on the stove, then marinate it in oil and vinegar to make it silky-soft and flavor-packed. 

This herbaceous, crunchy, green riff on the iconic bread and tomato salad features all of our favorite spring vegetables, plus a tangy buttermilk dressing.

This versatile condiment takes a page from Paula Wolfert’s original version in her book, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, in which a surplus of greens gets cooked down to a deeply savory jammy consistency.

Savory chickpea flour pancakes, also known as socca, require just four ingredients (including water).

The easiest—and most delicious—homemade falafel recipe that ever was.

This bright pink and super creamy hummus is a party showstopper.

You will have more than enough of the cauliflower purée and the salsa. Use the leftovers as a dip or swirl into vegetable soups.

Shave the cauliflower for this salad recipe within an hour of serving so that it won’t have time to discolor, and make quick work of that task by using a mandoline.

The semolina bakes into a crunchy layer on the top and bottom but stays moist and delicate within.

Use your favorite low-fat turkey or chicken sausage in this slimmed-down version of the Italian sandwich classic.

This healthy swordfish recipe is beautifully flavored with shallots, garlic, and green olives.