Mezze, What’s Mezze?!

This class was dedicated to “starters” or what Middle Easterners call Mezze. I talked a bit about this before in the Turkish class posting and it now has continued with this class: Mezze II although there is a main dish tucked into the menu: Stuffed Zucchini. Of course, to be true Mezze you should be sharing the dishes, at room temperature, with friends, under olive trees. Unfortunately, we don’t have too many of those back home. We’ll just have to compromise with Locus and Nectarine Trees…
Birgit and I signed up for the class together and then saw Yumiko and Tina again. We also got the chance to meet some new people – always interesting. The classes draw in such a mixture of people. The Iceland Volcano even affected the attendance because Samia’s sister-in-law and friends were “stuck” in Singapore because they couldn’t get a flight back to Europe. I continue to enjoy the experiences here and in Singapore because it has enlightened me and broadened my horizons to an extent that I cannot even begin to imagine the impact that it will have on my life, Paul’s included.
The menu, as always, was phenomenal and testament to Samia’s breadth and depth of knowledge of cuisines around the world:

Batinjaan bi Rubb al-Rumman (Grilled Eggplant with Pomegranate & Mint)

Kibbeh al Hammam (Burghul & Tomato Kibbeh)

Falafel (Fava Bean & Chickpea Rissoles) with Yoghurt & Tahini Dip

Fattoush Salad (Mixed Salad with Toasted Pitta Bread)

Ful Medames (Egyptian Broad Beans)

Kusa Mahshi (Zucchini Stuffed with Herbed Rice & Lamb)

Baclava Fingers (Phyllo Pastry layered with Nuts & Greek Thyme Honey Syrup)

Yes, WOW is the only way to put it. Samia says that she is going to put the Stuffed Zucchini on her menu as a vegetarian dish – of course, without the Lamb. That’s probably how I will make it for Paul, too. I really enjoyed all of the dishes and we were treated to fresh Naan – yum!! I was surprised how much I liked the Ful Medames – I can’t wait to make that for Paul. It’s actually a warm Mezze served at Breakfast! I got the special privilege of capturing the shot for the Kibbeh - Samia doesn't have any pictures of it for her website, so I hope one of the pictures will make it to the website - that would be too cool!

For the Falafels, Samia had an authentic Middle Eastern Falafel Maker – see below. Though we probably all agreed we would just make it with our hands.

I always enjoy my experiences there and Birgit and I are going to another class on Saturday, Brunch. We’ll learn “multi-ethnic cuisine” for what Samia calls a “memorable brunch menu.”