Greek Broccoli & Feta Patties with Tomato Olive Salsa & Smoked Yoghurt | gf

I’ve always had a thing for Greek food. Maybe it’s the memories of crispy cucumber & tangy tzatziki under the ruthless sun during all of those summers spent in the Cyclades, or the promises of summer that Mediterranean flavors carry. These greek broccoli & feta patties brought all of that back in an instant. Someone actually made them for me last week (was asked out to dinner 😳) and I loved them so much I had to develop a gluten-free version for you guys here on the blog. Little did he know about my since long love story with Greece ;-)

In a completely unrelated situation recently, I was reminded of an old favorite movie from when I was like twelve – Le Grand Bleu by Luc Besson. When I was a teenager we used to go to the island where the movie was partly recorded. A desolate place, with only one small fishing village, a handful of b&b’s and 3-4 restaurants. Each night at 8pm sharp, one of the bars played the movie out on their terrace. I remember the whole bay lit up with that blue glow, as we stayed up late playing cards in our little white washed cottage with blue windows.

At that time I had yet to discover all the vibrant, plant centric foods that Greece had to offer. Mostly there was a lot of souvlaki, pizza and pasta. And the mandatory Greek salad for lunch. I will never ever get tired of an authentic Greek salad made from sun ripened tomatoes and juicy cucumber. It is the ultimate summer food.

Do you also have strong memories of summer like this from any special place?

This set of recipes checks off all of those ingredients that to me is essential in mediterranean cooking. A good olive oil, plenty of feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, juicy cocktail tomatoes, kalamata olives, basil and yoghurt.

These greek broccoli & feta patties are ridiculously simple to make as you basically mix everything in a food processor and then let them cook themselves in the oven. No oil needed, if that’s a concern of yours (though I make up for it in the salsa 😉).

The salsa almost deserved a blog post on its own because seriously!! Did a little dance in the kitchen when I tasted it <3 Not sure where the inspiration for this one came from, it just sort of hit me in a moment of random cravings (probably). It’s sweet, tangy, savory, crunchy, herbaceous and a little spicy from raw shallot. The crushed walnuts makes for a crunchy, nutty base that pairs really well with the otherwise rather sharp flavors. Opt for sweet cherry tomatoes, preferably different kinds. I used both yellow, black, pearl and regular ones.

I can probably think of a hundred different ways to eat this salsa. On bruschetta, with hummus, in pasta salad, on avocado toast, as a soup topping, on socca pizza, with a spoon…

Finally, the smoked yoghurt was inspired by Linus at Hotel Stelor. He probably had a much more fancy way of making his smoked yoghurt, but I just used what I had at hand, which was liquid smoke essence. Simple as that.

On to the recipe!!

The recipe for the greek broccoli & feta patties is adapted from this recipe.

Greek Broccoli & Feta Patties

makes about 15 patties

1 broccoli head (about 250 g), florets & stem
2 eggs
1/2 cup chickpea flour
70 g fresh spinach, finely chopped
10 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
150 g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp chili flakes
a small handful of pine nuts or chopped walnuts (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste

Tomato & Olive Salsa

300 g heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved/quartered
8 greek olives, I used both green & kalamata, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary (leaves only), finely chopped
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp high quality olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey or agave
salt & pepper, to taste

Smoked Yoghurt

greek or turkish yoghurt
droplet of liquid smoke
lemon pepper

Directions

Heat the oven to 200’C / 390’F.

Roughly chop the broccoli and place in a food processor along with eggs, chickpea flour and a good pinch of salt. Pulse until combined and sticky. Transfer to a large bowl.

Finely chop spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and crumble the feta cheese. Also chop pine nuts/walnuts. Add to the bowl of broccoli, along with the spices. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Use your hands to form patties and place on a baking tray covered in parchment paper. Bake in oven for about 35 minutes or until nicely browned. You might need to flip them over halfway to get an equal browning.

While the patties are baking, prep the salsa.

Halve or quarter the tomatoes. Finely chop olives, walnuts, shallot and herbs. Place in a bowl along with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, salt & pepper and stir to combine. It’s nice to let the salsa sit in room temperature for 30 min – 1 hour before serving, to let the flavors develop :-)

To make the smoked yoghurt, simply add a droplet or two or liquid smoke (go easy! it can easily be overwhelming) and season to taste with lemon pepper or regular black pepper.

Serve the patties hot with salad, salsa and smoked yoghurt. Enjoy!

Pro tip! These patties are perfect for meal prepping. They stay firm and nice in the fridge for 3 days, and can be re-heated in the oven for a freshly baked feeling. Also great for picnics or sharing meals :-)

Looking for more Mediterranean food recipes?

Greek Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas & Mint Tzatziki
Zucchini & Tofu Caprese with Grilled Lemon
Smokey Paprika & Lentil Dipping Sauce
Watermelon & Halloumi Salad with Edamame Beans
Polka Beet Carpaccio with Goat Cream Cheese & Tarragon Pesto

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