Kolokithi

The other day, I had the most delicious salad at a restaurant in Delhi. We were at Latitude and had asked for a plate of greens with warm goat’s milk cheese. Elsewhere, the dish usually goes by the name of Greek salad. But restaurateur Ritu Dalmia’s version was simply out of this world. All kind of crisp and fresh greens had been lightly tossed together with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar. And placed right on top of the small hillock of cheerful greens was this big and warm piece of cheese — salty, soft and strong.

The salad strengthened an opinion that I have held for a long time — that when it comes to vegetarian fare, you just can’t beat the food of the Mediterranean region. I love all that the region has to offer — from their seafood and lamb dishes to beef and pork. But I could also spend a lifetime happily swimming in their vegetarian cauldron.

Moussaka

A lot of carnivores I know endorse my thoughts. That’s primarily because the Mediterranean vegetarian has a very wide canvas — and that includes everything from the pasta aglio e olio (pasta tossed in garlic, red chilli flakes and olive oil) of Italy and the loubieh bi zeit (green beans with garlic and tomatoes) of Lebanon to yemista (stuffed vegetables) from Greece and hunkar begendi (creamed eggplant, also known as the Sultan’s delight) of Turkey.

One strong votary of Mediterranean food is the executive chef of Taj Bengal, Sujan Mukherjee. Souk, the eastern Mediterranean restaurant at The Taj, has a vast number of non-vegetarian dishes but Chef Mukherjee tells me that he has also culled a wide variety of vegetable recipes from countries such as Turkey, Syria, Morocco, Greece and Lebanon. “We keep testing new recipes, spices, flavours and unusual combinations for an exciting meal,” says Mukherjee, who has just won the tourism ministry's best chef award in the five-star hotel category.

All across the word, Mediterranean vegetarian is gaining support; it is being increasingly seen as a great combination of taste and health. Because the vegetables are mostly grilled or sautéed, you get the taste of fresh produce, flavoured with just the lightest of oils and spices. A Mediterranean diet — full of vegetables and fruits, nuts, whole grains, herbs, spices and olive oil — is believed to lessen the chances of heart diseases, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Of course, it’s not just about good health. The vegetarian fare is not without its share of exotica. Chef Mukherjee’s arti shawki is a dish of char-grilled potatoes stuffed with artichokes and sundried tomatoes and flavoured with sweet Turkish chillies. And his vegetable moussaka is a wonderful combination of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red, yellow and green bell pepper, grilled and mixed with cooked burghul, which is the favoured wheat of the region.

What I like about the vegetable dishes of the region is the fact that it can be presented in various ways — from soups and appetisers to entrées and snacks. One of my all-time favourite meal beginners is the dolma — steamed vine leaves stuffed with cooked rice or other ingredients. A lovely Greek lady who ran a restaurant in Delhi prepared the most delicious dolmades — with soft and tangy leaves wrapped around warm rice. She left her able staff to handle all the other dishes, while she focused her own attention on the dolma. And since I remember it so fondly after all these years, clearly she did a good job of it.

The vegetables are mostly lightly cooked — like the dolma — but can be deep fried as well. Chef Mukherjee’s kolokithi is an excellent – and easy to cook — dish of fried vegetables served with a delicious dip. For this, you need to slice zucchini, yellow squash and aubergine. You add salt to them and keep them aside for a while, so that they leave water. Squeeze out the excess water and dust the slices with corn flour. Fry them till they are crispy. Meanwhile mix garlic with hung yoghurt. Stack up the crispy chips and serve with the garlic yoghurt on the side.

The garlic yoghurt or labneh — prepared with hung curd — is an excellent dip. These days, I find that a great many restaurants serve the Mediterranean hummus — made with chick peas — or tatziki — yoghurt, garlic and cucumber – instead of the usual tomato and mustard sauces. And I find them so much more delicious than the regular dips.

With unrest erupting in many parts of southern Mediterranean — from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya, Syria and Morocco — I would suggest that we celebrate the spirit of the people with a piece of warm pita bread smeared with hummus. Let’s dig into some baklawa — a filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and honey — and wish them a sweet tomorrow.

Yogurtulu Ispanaki (warm spinach and onion salad topped with garlic yoghurt, crispy onion straws) (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2kg spinach leaves • 1kg onions • 100g chopped garlic • 200g hung yoghurt or labneh • salt and white pepper to taste • 10ml chilli oil • 20g parsley

Method:

Clean, wash and shred the spinach leaves. Boil them and squeeze out the water, chill with ice water. Slice the onions. Take some of the sliced onions and brown them. Heat a pan and add extra virgin olive oil to it. Sauté the remaining onions and half the chopped garlic. Add the boiled spinach leaves. Season with salt and white pepper. Mix the remaining chopped garlic with hung curd. Place the warm spinach with onions on a plate. Top with garlic yoghurt and garnish with crispy onion straws and parsley. Drizzle with chilli oil.

Batinjan Rahib (smoked eggplant with pistachio, walnut, pomegranate and paprika) (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1kg eggplant • 50g pistachio • 50g walnut • 100g pomegranate seeds • 75g paprika • 50ml pomegranate molasses (or thickened pomegranate juice) • 50ml extra virgin olive oil • 50g chopped parsley • 1 mint sprig for garnishing

Method:

Smoke the eggplant (preferably on a charcoal grill). Put it under cold water and remove the skin and any foreign particles. Mix it with the remaining ingredients. Chill for at least two hours. Garnish with the mint sprig. Serve cold with hot pita bread.