Breakfast Feast with Mediterra Café
Mediterra Cafe Owner Nick Ambeliotis likens his early career in food importing to foraging, and the spirit and experiences of his discovery-filled travels infuse the Sewickley eatery, market, and bakery (and soon-to-be second location in Mt. Lebanon).
When gathering ingredients for this feast, there’s no better place to do some foraging of your own.
“We grew up eating these ingredients,” he says. “My mom would make Portuguese chorizo and eggs, crispy around the edges and a dippy yolk, to eat with bread. That would be a really simple, easy Saturday morning breakfast.”
The market’s myriad delicacies and treats, as well as executive chef Aniceto Sousa’s Portuguese roots and the Ambeliotis family’s Greek heritage, influence Mediterra’s offerings. “We grew up eating these ingredients,” he says. “My mom would make Portuguese chorizo and eggs, crispy around the edges and a dippy yolk, to eat with bread. That would be a really simple, easy Saturday morning breakfast.” Upgrade your brunch table with that same dish, starring a verdant, spicy zhoug sauce.
Then, bake up the breakfast strata — a no-brainer for the chef as “we always have leftover bread here” — studded with dates and caramelized onions.
Sousa’s savory pancakes are fritter-like and filled with fresh leeks, kohlrabi, herbs, aged feta, and Parmesan. Top off with a perfectly tangy Mediterranean yogurt sauce.
And, don’t forget the treats, a must-have in any Mediterra meal — pumpkin cookies with cream-cheese frosting and homemade apple pie “pop-tarts.”
PA Wines Reccomends:
For Mediterra’s savory recipes, try a dry-style sparkling wine made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Riesling grapes.
Pumpkin cookies and apple pie pop tarts speak to the flavors of fall, and a spiced apple wine will make an excellent partner for these treats.
Learn more about pairings here.
Story by: Nicole Barley
Photography: Dave Bryce
Styling: Keith Recker
Wine Pairings: Alexandra Cherniavsky for PA Wines
Dinnerware: Creations Gasoline, FD Ceramics, Emmanuelle Wambach
Napkins: Kim Seybert
Flowers: Pisarcik Flower Farm
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