Duo of Tapas: Cucumber, Fennel, and Garlic Dip & Savory Pie of Wild Greens and Feta

Appetizers, meze, tapas . . . whatever the name, these small plates symbolize hospitality. Every culture has a unique collection of dishes to share. Here are our favorite savory bites to enjoy before a meal. Serve a few together for a vibrant lunch or dinner.

In Chile, Clove, and Cardamom explore mouth-watering recipes from the most vibrant and diverse culinary traditions of the hottest and driest places on earth—including the aromatic dishes and arid-adapted traditions from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the deserts shared by the US and Mexico—compiled by two James Beard Award-winning writers.

The following excerpt is from Chile, Clove, and Cardamom by Beth Dooley and Gary Paul Nabhan. It has been adapted for the web.

Dips and sauces are great as appetizers and condiments. They can be prepared ahead and be at the ready for last-minute guests or to dress vegetables and roasts. Keep them on hand and use them with abandon.

This classic yogurt and cucumber sauce is just right with lamb shawarma, and it makes a wonderful dip for toasted pita bread.

Cucumber, Fennel, and Garlic Dip
(Tzatziki Me Máratho, Cacik, Mikti bi Labneh)

Crete, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey
Makes about 3 1/4 cups

Food writer Aglaia Kremezi shared her recipe using fennel and mint along with cucumber and garlic. Ours calls for wild cucumbers, aka mikti, from Lebanon. When shredded, their green skins add color and a pleasing delicate texture to the sauce.

• 2 small wild (mikti) or Persian cucumbers
• 1 medium fennel bulb, finely grated (about 2/3 cup [230 g])
• 1/2 cup fennel fronds, lightly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Generous pinch white pepper
• 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or argan oil
• 2 cups (480 ml) kefir, preferably sheep or goat
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
• spearmint for garnish

Grate the cucumbers into a strainer set over a bowl. Press to remove as much liquid as possible.

Transfer the cucumbers to a medium bowl and stir in the fennel, fennel fronds, orange zest, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, oil, and kefir. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve garnished with the spearmint.

Kitchen Notes: Kefir and yogurt are both cultured dairy products, but kefir is fermented for a longer period of time so it contains more probiotics. Sheep and goat kefirs are creamier than cow’s milk kefir because they contain more of the rich, healthy fats and flavor.

Cucumbers are infused with electrolytes for natural rehydration. Desert cultures use them with abandon for flavor and nutrients. Persian cucumbers contain fewer seeds, are extra crisp, and are slightly sweeter than conventional varieties. If unavailable, use regular cucumbers, peeling and seeding them before shredding.

Argan oil is pressed from the fruit of the argan tree, indigenous to Morocco. Because the fruit’s kernels are roasted before pressing, the oil has a rich, nutty flavor, similar to hazelnut or walnut oil. Find it online and in specialty shops.

In the spring all throughout Greece and its surrounding islands, villages and towns host festivals to celebrate local wild greens. The greens are baked into phyllo pies, called hortopita, which are different from the more familiar spanakopita made with cultivated spinach. The vibrant green, peppery filling is a fine match to salty, creamy feta.

Savory Pie of Wild Greens and Feta
(Hortopita)

Crete, Cyprus, and Greece
Serves 4 to 6

Nearly every desert culture enjoys hand pies of wild greens, whether baked in a flaky phyllo crust or a leavened dough of wheat, maize, or barley.

If you are lucky enough to forage wild amaranth, lambsquarters, nettles, purslane, or watercress, please toss these into the pie. But arugula, bergamot, dandelion greens, dill, fennel bulbs and fronds, summer savory, and radicchio work just as well.

• Sea salt
• 1 pound (454 g) de-stemmed fresh wild greens such as amaranth, lambsquarters, nettles, purslane, or watercress
• 3 large eggs
• 4 ounces (113 g) chèvre
• 4 ounces (113 g) feta cheese
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup (30 g) chopped fresh herbs such as bee balm, bergamot, dandelion greens, dill, fennel fronds and bulbs, or summer savory
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and blanch the greens for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and press to squeeze out the excess water. Remove and chop fine; you should have about 1 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and cheeses, then work in the yogurt and garlic. Stir in the greens, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a 9- or 10-inch (22 to 25 cm) tart pan with some of the oil and place on a baking sheet. Lay a sheet of the phyllo in the prepared pan, tucking it into the seam, with the edges overhanging the rim. Brush it with oil, then place another sheet on top so that the edges overlap another section of the pan’s rim. Continue layering the remaining sheets, brushing each with oil both on the edges and seams and staggering them so that the overhang on the rim of the pan is distributed evenly and covers the whole pan.

Transfer the filling to the phyllo-lined pan. Fold the overhanging phyllo over the filling and brush again with oil. Bake until the phyllo is puffed and golden and the filling is bubbling beneath, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Recommended Reads

Forager’s Spring Curry: A Wild, Seasonal Recipe

How to Forage and Store Wild Greens