Mezze Platter - Olive Oil Bread, Dolma & Taramasalata

1. Ledenia Bread
Dissolve the dried yeast into the warm water and leave to one side for a few minutes, then knead with the olive oil, flour, and salt in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes.
Leave to prove and double in size for about an hour.
Grease a 28cm skillet pan with olive oil, knock back the dough, then stretch and press it into the
base of the pan before leaving it to double in size again for about 30 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 200°C.
Toss the pitted olives and halved tomatoes with the salt and oregano before pressing into the
pillowy dough.
Finish by pouring over the last of the olive oil and baking for about 20 minutes, until risen,
golden and crisp on the outside.
Serves 6
2. Dolma
Soak the bread in cold water for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
Blitz the onion and garlic with 50ml of cold water to create ‘onion water’ then drain it through a
sieve, catching the liquid.
Add the cod’s roe, soggy squeezed bread, onion water and the zest and juice of the lemon into
a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Pour the olive oil in slowly as you continue to blend to get a smooth, creamy dip.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and more lemon if required.
Serves 6
3. Taramasalata
Make sure your vine leaves have been soaked so that they are pliable for later.
Chop the spring onions, peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic fairly small, then sweat all
of them off in a medium pan with 60ml of olive oil for about 10 minutes to soften and turn sweet.
Stir in the rice and continue to fry for a minute or so before pouring in 75ml of water.
Cover with a lid and cook gently for 6 minutes until the water has been absorbed, then remove
from the heat to cool (note the rice won’t be fully cooked).
Chop all the herbs finely and stir into the slightly cooled rice along with the zest of one lemon
and juice of half.
Season generously with salt and pepper to taste (the rice won’t be fully cooked... but you still
need to taste for seasoning).
Line a saucepan with 4 vine leaves, cut the untouched lemon into slices and arrange on the
bottom of the pan, then squeeze in the remaining half a lemon.
Roll 1 tbsp of rice mixture into each leaf, vein side up, by placing a mound of rice at the base of
the leaf, rolling towards the tip, then folding in each side to continue rolling (same as a burrito).
Continue with the rest, arranging the rolled leaves into the base of the pan so that they are fairly
tightly packed.
Pour over the remaining 100ml of olive oil, cover with an upturned plate to stop them moving
when they cook and cover with water just above the rolls.
Heat to a simmer and very gently cook for 45 minutes before allowing them to cool in the pan.
Serve with your taramasalata and chunks of Ledenia bread.
Makes 16