{"id":10120,"date":"2012-07-25T13:19:22","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T20:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=10120"},"modified":"2020-07-12T15:02:17","modified_gmt":"2020-07-12T22:02:17","slug":"olympic-gold-mediterranean-eggplant-rolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/olympic-gold-mediterranean-eggplant-rolls\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic Gold: Mediterranean Eggplant Rolls"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n Only 2 more days until the 2012 London Olympic Games 27<\/a>! \u00a0And, in honor of all that the Olympic games inspire, this month’s Five Star Makeover Challenge is a Greek meze<\/em> roundup.\u00a0The epitome of Greek style entertaining is the mez<\/em>e (meh-ZEH) table –\u00a0a traditional gathering place – warm, inviting, and always casual. It is an atmosphere where the plates are communal, the conversation is spirited, and the pace is leisurely. Translated literally, the word meze\u00a0<\/em>means a taste or a bite. It is used to describe small plates of savory snacks that are served as a complement to drinks – most often the anise-flavored aperitif ouzo (OO-zoh).<\/p>\n There are many different types of mezethes<\/em>\u00a0and the menu will vary according to locale.\u00a0This style of entertaining encourages people to come and join the party. So grab a fork and have a seat! In the list of suggested Greek meze for the Challenge, Boureki (described as eggplant rolls) immediately caught my eye as I’m a big fan of eggplant. My web search turned up more recipes for boureki as a layered zucchini and potato baked dish with myzithra like the recipe\u00a0Evelyne\u00a0posted after her trip to Crete.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Myzithra (mee-ZEETH-rah) is a Greek cheese made from the whey of Feta and Kefalotiri. Fresh myzithra has a soft, creamy consistency similar to ricotta. \u00a0It is also available aged into a very dense, hard white cheese that is suitable for fine grating and what I used in my Eggplant Boureki along with a Greek yogurt cheese called Labne which has a distinctive tangy flavor and is smoother and thicker than yogurt.\u00a0Preferring grilled eggplant wrapped around a savory stuffing for our meze table, these elegant, party-worthy eggplant rolls bring together culinary influences from Greece, Italy in the arrabbiata-style sauce, and North Africa in the nuts and dried fruits in the stuffing.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/h2>\n