Twenty small dishes, all at once
The Mezze Table
Twenty small dishes on the table at the same time, most of them made hours earlier. The most sociable format there is and the kindest to a kitchen without an oven.
Preparation
What happens when
- Two days aheadPickles and marinated vegetables made, chickpeas soaked.
- The day beforeDips made, cheeses marinated, meatballs rolled, bread ordered.
- The dayHot dishes cooked in waves from thirty minutes before service, bread warmed continuously.
Service
How to serve it
Put the cold dishes out before the guests sit and bring hot dishes in three waves. Small bowls, many spoons, and replace rather than refill. Bread is the timing device: as long as it keeps arriving warm, nobody notices anything else.
At home
A mezze table for ten
Eight cold dishes and three hot ones is plenty. Make the cold ones the day before and buy the bread.
- Hummus: 400 g cooked chickpeas blended warm with 120 g tahini, juice of 2 lemons, 1 garlic clove, ice water and salt until completely smooth.
- Whipped feta: 300 g feta, 150 g yoghurt, olive oil and lemon, blended and topped with chilli and oregano.
- Marinated peppers, cucumber with dill and yoghurt, olives with orange zest, and a tomato salad with sumac.
- Hot: halloumi in a hot dry pan, spiced lamb meatballs, and prawns with garlic, chilli and lemon, each cooked as the last one is finished.
Editor’s tip: Order twice the bread you think you need and keep it covered and warm. It is the dish guests actually eat most of.
Plan it
Quantities and timing
How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
Guest count, service style and menu shape turned into a shopping list in kilos, litres and pieces.
OpenDoes this menu work?
Menu Composer
Build a menu course by course and see the balance: weight, technique, temperature, colour, repetition, oven conflicts and a wine suggestion for each course..
OpenWhat happens at 19:40
Service Timeline
A backwards plan from the minute your first course leaves the kitchen: crew arrival, prep, table setting, briefing, doors, courses, speeches, coffee and strike..
OpenFormats
Where this menu belongs
Format
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Where it eats best
Market
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