BOSH! authors Henry Firth & Ian Theasby share their crowd-pleasing Vegan Mezze Platter from their new book, Speedy BOSH!

Perfect for entertaining, nibbling or eating for lunch at your desk, little mezze dips are a weekly staple in the BOSH! household. We’ve combined some newly discovered flavours a few classics; our Beetroot, Tahini & Dill Dip is incredible, and our Pea, Feta & Mint Dip is an old favourite made plant-based. The mighty Muhammara takes the crown here, with its rich roasted pepper flavour, and for the full Levantine effect we’ve matched the dips with flatbreads, shop-bought dolmades and dippy veg. If you’re wanting to up your dip game and impress guests at your next party, these recipes are gonna help you out. You’ll definitely need a food processor here and, if you’re making them all, having a silicone spatula to hand would be very helpful to speed up the process.

INGREDIENTS – Serves 4–6

Pea, Feta & Mint Dip

Beetroot, Tahini & Dill Dip

Muhammara

Crudités, Dolmades, Pickled Chillies & Flatbreads

Preheat grill to high • Food processor

Remove the peas for the Pea, Feta & Mint Dip from the freezer and set aside to thaw slightly until needed

Next, make the Beetroot, Tahini & Dill Dip

Now make the Muhammara

Assemble the Pea, Feta & Mint Dip

Prepare the Crudités, Dolmades, Pickled Chillies & Flatbreads • Lay out your mezze dishes and serve

RECIPES

Beetroot, Tahini & Dill Dip

½ lime

2 cooked beetroot

2 tbsp tahini

a small handful of dill

½ tsp sesame seeds

salt

Squeeze the lime juice into the food processor • Add the beetroot, tahini and a generous sprinkling of salt • Blitz until smooth • Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary • Scrape the dip into a serving bowl • Roughly chop the feathery fronds of the dill and

sprinkle them over the dip along with the sesame seeds • Quickly rinse the food processor bowl and blade to use again

Muhammara

½ lemon

1 roasted red pepper from a jar

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp cumin flakes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

80g walnuts

For the topping

10g walnuts

handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Squeeze the juice of the lemon half into the food processor • Add all the rest of the muhammara ingredients and blitz until smooth • Scrape into a serving bowl • Chop the walnuts and sprinkle them over the dip, then garnish with the parsley leaves • Quickly rinse the food processor bowl and blade to use again

Pea, Feta & Mint Dip

½ lemon

80g frozen petit pois

100g dairy-free feta

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

handful of fresh mint leaves

For the topping

1 tbsp olive oil

small handful of fresh mint leaves

Squeeze the lemon juice into the food processor • Add the slightly thawed petit pois, feta, oil and mint leaves • Blitz until well combined, but still retaining some texture • Scrape into a serving bowl and swirl the top with the back of a spoon to make a small indent • Drizzle the olive oil into the dip and garnish with mint leaves

Crudités, Dolmades, Pickled Chillies & Flatbreads

6 flatbreads

1 carrot

½ cucumber

½ fennel bulb

6 celery sticks

a bunch of radishes with leaves

pinch of dried mint

½ lemon

1 x 300g jar pickled green chillies

1 x 280g tin dolmades

Toast the flatbreads under the hot grill for 1–2 minutes • Trim and slice the carrot, cucumber, fennel and celery into sticks or wedges for dipping • Rinse and halve the radishes, retaining their leaves • Arrange the vegetables on a platter, sprinkle over the dried mint and squeeze over a little lemon juice • Drain the pickled chillies and dolmades and transfer to small serving dishes

Serve • Bring to the table with all the dips and let your guests tuck in!

Speedy BOSH! by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby (HQ, HarperCollins)

Food photography: Lizzie Mayson