A Mediterranean Meal

While browsing through my favorite bookstore, Schuler Books & Music, I found a great cookbook with recipes from some of my favorite countries' cuisines. The book, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook, was on sale for a steal, so I bought it and decided to experiment. After the recipes turned out so well, I am excited to try more.

I selected Psari Plaki, a Greek fish recipe, for the main dish (found on page 38) and a North African cucumber, feta, mint, and dill salad to accompany it (found on page 251). Find the recipes retyped below and enjoy!

Psari Plaki - baked fish with tomato and onion

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 small stick of celery, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

13 oz (400g) can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato passata (I couldn't find this, so I used tomato paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 oz (50g) day-old white bread (I used packaged bread crumbs instead)

1 lb 2 oz (500g) white fish fillets, such as snapper or cod

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until soft.
• Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped tomato, passata, oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until reduced & thickened.
• Stir chopped parsley and lemon juice into sauce. Season to taste.
• Arrange fish in single layer in baking dish. Pour sauce over fish. Scatter breadcrumbs all over the top, then drizzle remaining olive oil over fish.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked.

Cucumber, Feta, Mint, and Dill Salad

Ingredients

4 oz (120g) feta cheese

4 cucumbers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1.5 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Crumble feta and place in large bowl. Peel and seed the cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch dice. Add cucumbers to bowl along with the onion and dill.
• Grind mint in a mortar and pestle. Combine with the oil and juice, then season with salt & black pepper. Pour over salad and toss.