Mezze platter for your pandemic wall

A no-cook Shabbat spread Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis February 12, 2021

Shabbat is the day of rest, and you sure as hell deserve one. This is for the week you just cannot, you are just too burned out. Beautiful vibrant vegetables, store-bought dips dressed up for Shabbat, and some lovely cheese make a beautiful Shabbat that comes together in about 30 minutes. Healthy, easy and delicious, for the body and soul. Serve with your favorite flatbread or challah – or both!!

Ingredients

4 Persian cucumbers (Mini cucumbers are crunchier and more flavorful. I will die on this hill)
1.5 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 Lemon
1 block of feta in water ( prefer Bulgarian)
1 cup multi-colored sweet mini peppers chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch mint
1 extra-large tub of your favorite hummus
1 large tub of your favorite baba ganoush
1 container seeded pomegranates or one whole pomegranate
1 pound of dolma (stuffed grape leaves)
1 small log of goat cheese
About 2 cups of full-fat greek yogurt
Honey
Olive oil
1 jar of pitted olives ( I love Castelvetrano)
1 container of dates.
Vinegar
Purple cauliflower
2 tablespoons sugar and salt
Sumac
Zaatar
Pine nuts

Gather up all those little cute bowls from your wedding you never use – About 7 total, they don’t need to match. I hit up the dollar store from some cute bowls cause my wedding stuff is in storage. Grab your largest prettiest cutting board.

Chop up the purple cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Dunk in a large bowl full of vinegar and add two teaspoons of sugar and salt. Set aside.

Time for some Israeli salad. Chop up those tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Put in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, a touch of sumac, and juice of half a lemon. Add to tablespoons of chopped parsley. Stir together and set aside. You can do this a few hours ahead of time if you prefer.

Pour some sumac on a cutting board. Take out that goat cheese log. Roll it in that pretty bright sumac. Look at you making such a pretty dinner. You’re so awesome! Wipe down the cutting board and set it aside.

Now, this is crucial. Pour yourself a large glass of wine and put on Janelle Monae immediately. Here comes the fun part.

Fill the bowls with olives, dates, and drained purple cauliflower. Put Greek yogurt in the bowl and using a spoon make some swoops around the edges like you’re frosting a cake. Make a well in the middle and fill with honey, pomegranate and mint. Sprinkle a little zaatar in the edges.

Now your hummus – a large flat bowl is good for this. Dump that hummus in and use that same process, swoop, swoop, then fill with olive oil and pine nuts. Unless you bought hummus that already has pine nuts. Decorate with parsley and za’atar. Now for the eggplant! Pile that babaganoush high in a pile and top with pomegranate and mint.

Lay out your bowls of snacks and dips on the cutting board. A bowl of pistachio nuts or walnuts would be great here as well, but my family is allergic. Pile up your dolma, and add your cheese. Sprinkle the plate with leftover pomegranates and herbs for maximum decoration.

Look at that! Such a pretty Shabbat dinner and we didn’t have to turn on the stove. I’d serve you store-bought turkish delight with mint tea for dessert! Shabbat Shalom!

Read more about the author’s “No-cook Shabbat spread” backstory here.

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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