• HOME
• FOOD
• RECIPES
• DINING
• DRINKS
• SHOP
• TRAVEL
• ABOUT

There's nothing like touring a Roman ruin for generating an appetite. Believe me. I'm just back from a Mediterranean cruise where we rose at dawn to lectures from the Orator of Oxford University, then departed to scramble in blazing sun over cracked and broken stones -- why did the ancients always build at the top of a hill?

Luckily the locals have an answer to such foolish exertion: restorative little snacks called 'mezzes', 'tapas', 'antipasti', or 'amuses bouche' depending on their nationality. They may be as simple as a saucer of olives or as elaborate as Turkish 'borek' dumplings which resemble a deep fried spring roll filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. 'Mezze' can be enjoyed at any hour as a pick- me-up, or they may open lunch or dinner. For me they more than suffice as a complete, delicious meal.

In Greece a quartet of dips anchors the 'mezze' spread. 'Melitzanosalata' is a zesty puree of eggplant with olive oil, lemon and parsley. 'Skordalia' is pungent with fresh garlic, while 'tzatziki' is a refreshing blend of grated cucumber and goat's milk yogurt flavored with garlic and mint or dill. Last and most famous is the fish pate called'taramosalata' made from carp roe. It can range from a temptingly fluffy salmon-colored puree to a nasty cut-price version in sticky day-glo pink. Buyer beware!

Athens, our port of embarcation, is a day's leisurely sail from Syracuse in Sicily. Here I plunge into the open market, the finest we see in our dozen ports of call. Sardines and sea bass are glittering fresh, baby eels wriggle in the shadow of a giant tuna weighing at least 200 pounds. Because of pollution and overfishing, such size is rare.

We sail on to Malta, where flaky little cheesecakes of puff pastry filled with ricotta catch my attention, then to Tunis where the cheese pastries are made with brick dough, the southern Mediterranean version of phyllo resembling thin wonton wrappers. The same dough is used for giant turnovers, mine filled with tuna, sliced potato and egg flavored with capers, with some unpronounceable Arabic name.

On the bay of Naples, crowned by the volcano of Vesuvius, we scarcely sit down before being presented with a fried zucchini flower to whet the appetite. My antipasti verde includes baby artichokes sliced and broiled until crispy. Baby eggplant, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers are roasted in their skins. Tiny sliced zucchini have been deep fried to marinate with vinegar and mint, a classic dish called 'scapece'. Over all hovers the whiff of garlic, lemon, and golden homegrown olive oil. Food for the gods -- since ancient Rome is on our minds.

Last of all in Provence we encounter the punchy French sauces -- 'aioli' garlic mayonnaise, rust-colored 'rouille' flavored with chili or cayenne, and 'tapenade', the gamey black puree of olives, anchovy, garlic and oil which dates back to Roman times and beyond. All serve as condiments for a great platter of mixed cooked vegetables and hard cooked eggs, an Easter specialty though it also appears throughout the summer.

Throughout our journey I am fascinated by the different dishes which emerge from the basic Mediterranean ingredients of olive oil, olives, garlic, onion, capers, eggplant, tomato, multicolored peppers, zucchini,
artichokes (it's the season), and herbs particularly thyme, rosemary, basil and mint. Each nation has its own. 'Scapece' is typically Italian and 'tzatziki' could only come from Greece.

Even the olives differ. In Greece they are wrinkled and piquant, in Italy they come plump and juicy, both green and black, often marinated in oil and herbs with perhaps a whisper of chili. Olives from Nice on the Riviera are tiny, the side of a little fingernail. We tasted Sicilian olives so mild they could have been a fresh fruit, though in fact olives picked straight from the tree are inedibly bitter. They must always be pickled in lye and salt or brine.

I can hardly believe that returning to Burgundy is an anticlimax, but so it is. The local cooking seems sadly colorless, its subtlety overshadowed by memories of olives and garlic, herbs and oil. Now in my placid northern kitchen, the vibrant flavors of the sun are a mere memory.

GREEK CUCUMBER AND YOGURT DIP
(Tzatziki)

The richness of goat's milk yogurt is easy to reproduce by pureeing soft goat cheese with cow's milk yogurt. Flavor the tzaziki with plenty of garlic and your choice of fresh mint, dill or fennel. Best accompaniment is flat pita bread, though crackers are good too.

4 oz soft goat cheese
l cup plain yogurt
l medium cucumber
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
medium bunch of fresh mint, dill or fennel
salt and pepper

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a teaspoon. Coarsely grate cucumber on a box grater or using a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Puree cheese with the yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper in a processor. Add herb leaves, discarding stems, and puree again.. Stir puree into grated cucumber and taste -- it should be quite pungent so add more garlic and seasoning if necessary. Tzatziki can be refrigerated up to 3 days and the flavor will mellow. Serve it at room temperature. Makes 2 cups to serve 4.

Anne Willan is the founder of the famous French cooking school, LaVarenne, and has also served as president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of over a dozen internationally published cookbooks.