Summer mediterranean mezze!

I made this on a day that was 28 degrees! I wanted something fresh and summery, so I picked a few mediterranean dishes to pull together for a picky dinner with my parents. 

Lots of dishes so looks complicated, but I’m very loose with measurements and it was all pretty simple to pull together!

Ingredients

Sunday General:

• Nocellara Olives
• Ciabatta
• Cypressa Organic Halloumi
• Wilkin & Sons Apricot Jam
• Bold Bean Co Organic Chickpeas
• Chicken thighs
• Odysea Pomegranate Molasses
• 2x Red onions
• Tomatoes
• Pomegranate
• Cucumber
• Lemon
• Coriander 
• Parsley
• Ras El Hanout spice (Sure you could get this from Sunday General too but I forgot!)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Pomegranate roast chicken thighs

 (We based this one on this Delicious recipe: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/chicken-thighs-pomegranate-molasses/ but I’m very loose on measurements and missed a few things)

1. Crush garlic cloves and slice 1 red onion and lemon.
2. Put the sliced red onions, lemon (save a few slices), crushed garlic and chicken thighs into a mixing bowl.
3. Add a few tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, a couple teaspoons of Ras el Hanout (or other mediterranean spice), a few tablespoons of oil plus salt and pepper.
4. Transfer everything into a roasting tin and roast for 40-45 minutes.
5. After you remove from the oven, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, chopped coriander and parsley and a little more pomegranate molasses if necessary.

 Lemon rice

1. Put basmati rice into a saucepan. Cover with double the amount of cold water.
2. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer with lid on for 10-15 mins. 
3. In the last 5 mins add a few lemon slices)
4. When all water has evaporated and rice is cooked, remove from heat.

Chopped salad

1. Chop tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and coriander.
2. Mix all of the above, plus chickpeas in a big bowl.
3. If you have spare lemon give it a squeeze, plus add a pinch of salt.

Hummus

1. Add chickpeas, olive oil, salt, crushed garlic, olive oil and a little water.
2. Blend with a stick blender or in a food processor.

Whole grilled halloumi with honey and apricot jam 

1. Cut the halloumi in a grid shape on top about 1-2cm deep.
2. Grill the halloumi for 6-8 mins.
3. Serve on apricot jam and drizzle with honey.

Served all of the above with sliced bread and olives. Mediterranean mezze!

@oliviatripp

Images courtesy of this weeks contributor © Olivia Tripp 2021