Last week, Beau and Matt (from Probably This) drove all the way from New Orleans to Los Angeles, and the best welcome Alana (from Fix Feast Flair) and I could think to give them was a mezze party. We’d been threatening to do it for months, fantasizing about the various hummuses and fetas and baba ganoushes, the pungent colors, those miraculous plates of food where everything just tastes good together. And then Beau and Matt announced their impending arrival, and Alana and I decided it was now or never. Luckily, the boys agreed to help us make our mezze dreams come true.
In true LA fashion, I welcomed Matt and Beau with flaming margaritas and a mariachi band on the night of their arrival. I’d like to take responsibility for either or both of these kitschy wins, but alas, I am not that skilled (nor that culturally appropriative). I left it up to the magic of my neighborhood Mexican dive to set the scene for the moment when I’d finally get to squeeze these two lovebirds who have filled my internet and my heart with such sweet inspiration, humor, and friendship over the past year.
Meeting blogger friends is always exceptionally fun—especially when there’s an opportunity to do what we all do together.
So two days post-flaming margaritas, we gathered at my apartment to make the mezze party a reality. Even Alana’s sweet pup Vienna came by to make sure I made my hummus right.
Lucky for us, Seed + Mill in New York City decided to ship over the mother lode of tahini, halva (a dense sesame confection), and spice mixes for us to play with. I knew right away I wanted to make a hummus with their Green Tahini—a perfect blend of toasted sesame seeds, garlic, parsley, and salt. And their Sesame & Salt Spice Blend, fashioned by the famous La Boîte, provided a stunning counterpart to the rich savory tang of feta and cucumber. The flavors! The flavors.
Though Matt and Beau arrived during a week slightly less fiery than the ones that came before, we were all thrilled to be eating such cooling foods in the summer swelter. This spread boasts nary a hot dish, instead allowing the potent flavors to create a heat of their own. Matt and Beau made a bangin’ spicy baba ganoush and an ultra creamy tzatziki, Alana made a truly epic tabbouleh (with a secret ingredient! I love secret ingredients), and I contributed the afore-mentioned green tahini hummus and citrus-spiked feta and cucumber salad.
Though we lingered over the main event, dishing up spoonful after spoonful of everything until there were only scattered crumbs of feta and bulgur left, there was a halva wonderland beckoning. Seed + Mill sent us tender, flaky hunks of coconut, pistachio, chia, rose oil, salted chocolate, and ginger halva, their subtle fragrance wafting from the pale pink box they’d lived in for the past week, stored like crown jewels in preparation for their big reveal the day of the party.
And reveal they did, showering us with the kind of mouth bliss that comes from a balanced blend of salty, sweet, and ethereal flavors. We sampled, picked favorites, swapped goody bags of halva and tahini, pondered the age old question of whether or not it’s possible to consume too much sesame in one day. I say no way.
Start here, whipping up green tahini and a fast, fresh salad, and move on to the Probably This dips and the Fix Feast Flair tabbouleh.
GREEN TAHINI HUMMUS + FETA & CUCUMBER SALAD!
Ingredients
green tahini hummus
- 4-6 tablespoons water plus more to desired thickness
- juice of ½ very juicy lemon (2-3 tablespoons, plus more to taste)
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup Seed + Mill green tahini (or ¼ cup plain tahini + 1 small clove garlic + 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley + a pinch of sea salt)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas water drained
- ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley plus more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- olive oil for garnish
- grilled pita or flatbread for serving
feta & cucumber salad
- 1 cup cucumber cubes skin on
- 1 cup sheep’s milk feta cubes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- generous sprinkle Seed + Mill Sesame & Salt Spice Blend (or mix of sesame seeds sea salt, coriander, and orange zest)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest to garnish
Instructions
Make the green tahini hummus.
- Place all hummus ingredients in blender, beginning with the liquids—starting with 4 tablespoons water. Blend, taste, and adjust flavor to your liking, adding additional water as needed to thin. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve with grilled pita or flatbread.
Make the feta & cucumber salad.
- Place cucumber and feta cubes in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with spices and lemon zest, and toss gently to coat.
