a dish from greece —

Kolokythakia Sote with Feta Mousse

Greece 22 min total Serves 2 Easy

the history —

How this dish came to life

There is a kind of Greek cooking that doesn't shout. No long stew, no clay pot, no afternoon-long baking — just a few good ingredients given a small amount of attention. Kolokythakia σωτέ is exactly that. You slice the zucchini long, take them through hot olive oil until the edges turn caramel-brown, salt them generously, and that's it. The sweetness of the courgette comes forward; the bitterness leaves. The little luxury is the cold feta mousse underneath: whipped with thick yogurt and a single tablespoon of mint until it turns silk-smooth. Hot zucchini meets cold cheese. It's a trick taverna chefs in Athens have been doing for years to dress up the most humble vegetable into something you'd happily order on a Friday night with a glass of Assyrtiko. Five minutes of cooking, twenty years of Greek instinct.

Cultural significance

Zucchini — kolokythia — has been a backbone of the Greek summer kitchen for generations. Sote means 'sautéed' in the French sense, and the dish is part of the post-war taverna revolution that lifted village ingredients into more refined plating without losing their soul. The feta mousse is a modern Athenian gesture: nothing more than the traditional feta-and-yogurt dip (tirokafteri's cooler cousin) whipped to a cloud.

now let's cook

step by step

Instructions

1
Start with the mousse. In a small blender or food processor, combine the feta, yogurt, mint leaves, lemon juice and a generous crack of pepper. Blend for 60–90 seconds, scraping down once, until completely smooth and airy. Taste — you shouldn't need salt because of the feta, but adjust if needed. Refrigerate while you cook the zucchini.
2
Slice the zucchini lengthwise into long, even planks — about half a centimetre thick. Pat them dry with a clean cloth.
3
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Lay the zucchini in a single layer — work in batches if needed, never crowd the pan.
4
Sauté undisturbed for 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and the edges have started to caramelise. Season generously with salt and a crack of pepper.
5
Spread the cold feta mousse across the bottom of a wide serving plate in a thick, generous swoosh.
6
Lay the hot zucchini planks over the mousse, slightly overlapping. Drizzle with a final thread of raw olive oil, scatter parsley and a few extra mint leaves, and crack on a little more pepper.
7
Serve immediately — the contrast of hot zucchini against the cold mousse is the whole point. Eat with warm bread to scrape the plate clean.

tips from the village —

Wisdom from grandmothers

01Cut the zucchini evenly so they cook at the same rate. A mandoline gives you the most consistent planks, but a sharp knife is honest second.
02Don't move the zucchini around while they sear. They need stillness to develop that caramel crust.
03Use a barrel-aged feta — the cheaper crumbly stuff won't whip into a silky mousse, it'll stay grainy.
04The mousse keeps two days in the fridge. Make double — it's wonderful with grilled bread, tomatoes, or stirred into pasta.

watch us cook —

Watch the dish come together

Watch on Instagram

keep cooking —

Related recipes

Cyprus 70 min Hard

Cypriot Hollandaise

The French classic, reborn with Cypriot wild oregano — a silky, lemon-bright hollandaise infused with our own mountain rigani. A small experiment in what happens when one good ingredient changes everything.

Read the story

Greece 40 min Easy

Kremmydokeftedes (Onion Fritters)

Sweet onions, three kinds of herbs, a flick of lemon zest — Greek onion fritters fried until lace-edged and crisp, served with cold yogurt for dipping.

Read the story

Greece 40 min Easy

Biskotoglyko

Greek childhood in three layers — milk-soaked petit beurre biscuits, vanilla cream, a glossy red jelly top. The dessert every Greek mother made for Sunday lunch in the 1980s, and still does.

Read the story

καλή όρεξη —

Cook it slowly. Share it with someone you love.

More recipes Pantry