starters

It has been snowing all day today and I couldn't help thinking about the summer with a little bit of nostalgia. I decided to perk myself up by cooking a dish I enjoyed very much during my vacation in Afythos - Shrimp Saganaki. The word saganaki refers to the single-serving frying-pan it is cooked in. I do not own such dish, so I cooked it in shallow ramekins. Here it is.

It is said that every festive meal should start with an appetizer to whet the appetite. In Italy, those are known as antipasti, in France as hors d'oeuvre. Here on the Balkans and the Middle East we call it mezé. Today's appetizer recipe will surely tease your palate.

This Friday, my regular walk to the market was marked by the white and red colors of the martenitsa. Martenitsa is a small piece of red and white woven yarn symbolizing a wish for good health. It's part of a pegan tradition, popular on the Balkans, in which people exchange martenitsa as a gift on the first day of March and wear them to welcome spring.

My regular Friday visit to the market resulted in a couple of pounds of zucchini from Greece, red and green cayenne peppers from Turkey and a bunch of fresh dill from a local farmer lady. And since the snow is finally gone and it smells like spring outside, I decided to cook a light spring meal to celebrate the awakening of nature - zucchini stuffed with vegetables.

Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 4-6 hours and then peal the peas. Boil them in hot water in proportion 1 part chickpeas, 3 parts water. Add water and boil them for 30-40 minutes. Drain the chickpeas and put them in a salad bowl to cool down.