Based on the iconic Albanian dish of baked lamb with rice, I came up with a meatless version for my book Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts. The recipe didn’t make the final cut, and my friend Cheryl Sherman Rule cooked, fine-tuned and photographed it for Team Yogurt.
Photo by Cheryl Sherman Rule
Instead of peppers, you could make it with diced zucchini, eggplants or any other seasonal vegetables.
VEGETARIAN
Serves 5-6 (more…)
From my book Mediterranean HOT and SPICY (Broadway)
Similar to huevos rancheros, shakchouka or chakchuka gets its delicious flavor from the hot and fragrant chilies of the Mediterranean, and of course from vine-ripened summer tomatoes of any kind.
The best shakchouka I’ve tasted was served in a restaurant called Doctor Shakchouka, in Jaffa, Israel. The owner brings the dish to the table in the skillet in which it is cooked, and diners dip big pieces of crusty bread into it, devouring them instantly.
PHOTO BY ANASTASSIOS MENTIS
Serves 6
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Pickled octopus is one of the most common Greek mezze, served with ouzo in taverns all over the country.
To serve the pickled octopus, drain 1-2 tentacles, slice them and dress with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkling with fresh or dried savory or oregano. You can also add it to potato salad, as we did during the Clean Monday Lunch at the Oxford Symposium, a few years back.
In the souks of Tunisia dried octopuses are sold, along with small dried fish, like smelts and tiny shrimps. All these dried sea creatures are soaked in water and added to the fish couscous and other dishes.
