Get Mezze

It seems like everyone I know is broke right now. It seems like even if people aren't broke, they feel kind of ashamed of blowing all that money on records, pot and sex furniture back when the economy was doing ok.

It also seems like every swinging dick in the world is writing some kind of cooking-on-a-budget piece that is about dressing up pot roast or telling people to switch from boneless/skinless breasts to boneless/skinless thighs.

Bullshit. How about we eat a little less meat and do it with style!

One of my favorite jams in the less-is-more category is a mezze plate. Baba Ganoush, hummus and couscous or tabbouleh salad with a little bit of kibbe or braised chicken in the middle, what more could you want out of dinner, or life for that matter? The best part is that if you're really caught short you can skip the meat and no one will really notice.

Now

For the basics of this recipe you'll need:

Baba G

1 big purple eggplant or a few small ones
Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Hummus

1 can Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans
Tahini
Garlic
Salt
Lemon juice
and a Food Processor

For Kibbe recipe check here

Start Your Oven

First thing you want to roast your eggplant until it is soft and mushy (about 45 minutes at 350' for an average big eggplant) and set aside to cool. Meanwhile puree a clove or two of garlic with your can of chickpeas (liquid included!), a tablespoon or so of tahini and a good drizzle of olive oil. Check the seasoning and adjust with a few pinches of salt and the juice of half a lemon. If you go overboard on the lemon just add more olive oil.

Next take your cooled and peeled eggplant and jam it into the food processor. Don't bother to clean out the processor as you'll need the leftover hummus to give your Baba some body. I know that it might not be totally cricket in Morocco but I even add a little extra hummus or tahini to make sure the texture is right. Add your clove or two of garlic and some olive oil and let it go until pretty smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning with lemon and salt and add more olive oil if needed.

Now all you have to do is make a salad with couscous or quinoa or some other grain/pasta. I like lots of chopped cilantro instead of parsley along with lemon juice olive oil and a bit of minced shallots and salt.

Plate

Now plop your various delicious goops in thirds around the plate, drizzle with olive oil or good quality sunflower oil, chopped cilantro and drop a big scoop of kibbe or stewed Moroccan chicken in the middle and eat with pita bread (if you want to make your own you can make them in a hot oven on a oven stone using any decent yeast rising pizza dough recipe). Grand total for the meal, meat included, is about $8 most of which is the half pound of ground lamb. Go meatless, make your own bread and you could be staring down the barrel of a super-tasty dinner for like $4. Fear, uncertainty and doubt never tasted so good.