A salad inspired from the traditions of North Africa, but married with the spice that has beguiled the eastern Mediterranean for eons.
Recipes
The sating combination of cool fennel, rich hazelnuts and robust roquefort all come together thanks to the dressing, an exotic blend of honey, Mastiha, olive oil and more. This makes an elegant first course, too.
Cheese croquettes, a little time-consuming to make but fun to eat, are a classic Mediterranean snack.
One of the classic Greek mezedes is Saganaki, usually a rich dish of melted or seared or pan-fried cheese, often finished with a spoonful of alcohol. Here, the Mastiha is used not as a liqueur but in crystal form as the crust for Greece’s national cheese, feta.
Octopus, the quintessential Greek meze or appetizer, goes well with the earthy, musky scent of Mastiha.
Bean purées are a common dish all over the Mediterranean, made with yellow split peas, broad beans, giant or butter beans and more.
This Italian classic is transformed by the subtle scent of Mastiha in the dressing.
Make the ketchup, up to a week ahead: Purée the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth.
I love this dish for its airy lightness and for the mysterious, aromatic undertone that the Mastiha lends to it.
Fava is the name Greeks give to the purée of yellow split peas, which is a specialty of the Cyclades. It’s carte blanche for all sorts of
This simple salad speaks of Greek summer.
Nothing is more Mediterranean than this simple hors d’oeuvre.