Hummus with Pita Chips

Yes, you can buy a pretty decent hummus at the store for $5 (you better be buying Sabra), but no supermarket hummus can compare to the amazing creaminess and taste of homemade hummus. I still dream about the hummus in Israel, served at nearly every meal with fresh pita and herbs.

Here in the Bay Area, Z and I like to travel down to Oren's Hummus in Palo Alto for fresh hummus and grilled chicken, but given the traffic and driving time, we don't make it down nearly as much as we would like. For weekends when a hummus craving strikes (which for me is about every other week to be completely honest), homemade hummus is the way to go.

Cooking hummus at home is really straightforward. It does require some foresight and thought, so buy the ingredients during the week and start the soaking process on Friday night when you get home from work/happy hour/dinner. By Saturday at noon, you'll have a giant bowl of homemade hummus for weekend football parties and fall picnics.

Every good hummus needs a vehicle to eat it with, and my personal favorite is homemade pita chips. Homemade pita chips are healthier than store bought chips, have way more flavor, and are easy to throw together at a moment's notice. Inspired by Mediterranean flavors, I flavored my chips with sumac and thyme.

I find that each person has their own hummus preferences, so feel free to treat this recipe as a guideline. Add more lemon juice, garlic, and herbs to your liking. Add in some roasted tomatoes or garlic. I serve mine topped with olive oil and a sumac/thyme combination, but grilled meats, pine nuts, and chopped veggies would all be outstanding.

Hummus and Pita Chips

From The New York Times and Ina Garten

1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light tahini paste

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons lemon juice

6 1/2 tablespoons cold ice water

1 package pita

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Sumac

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water twice its volume. Let soak overnight. 

The next morning, drain chickpeas. In a medium saucepan, combine drained chickpeas and baking soda over medium high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add 6 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook at a simmer, skimming foam and chickpea skins off the top of the water, for 20 to 40 minutes, until chickpeas are tender (in my testing, it was about 20 minutes). When done, the chickpeas should crumble easily when pressed, but should not be mushy.

Drain chickpeas. Place chickpeas in food processor, and process until you get a stiff paste. With machine running, add tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, and salt (1 1/2 teaspoons). Slowly drizzle in ice water, and let process for 5 minutes until you get a smooth and creamy paste. If it is too thick, add more water as necessary. 

Transfer hummus to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes. Refrigerate if not eating right away--will last up to 2 days in the fridge.

For pita chips: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut each pita into 8 slices. Toss pita slices with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, sumac, and thyme. Spread pita slices onto a baking sheet, and cook for 10 minutes, tossing at 5 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Tabbouleh

June is by FAR my favorite month. Sunshine, fresh berries, beaches, bright nail polish colors, tank tops, ice cream, summer BBQs...I mean, what is there not to like? MOST importantly, June is also my birthday month! 

In honor of my favorite month and summer barbecues, I am going to be sharing my favorite summer entertaining recipes during the month of June. 

Tabbouleh,  a Middle Eastern staple, should really be a staple at your summer table. It is light and refreshing thanks to the abundance of parsley, mint, and lemon juice! This is a true herb salad, filled with lots of market fresh produce. It is perfect side dish to grilled meats or as an appetizer option during cocktails. 

This recipe for tabbouleh comes from the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottelenghi and Sami Tamimi. It is not hard to see why this cookbook quickly rose to success. Combining their Jewish (Ottelenghi) and Arab (Tamimi) backgrounds with the love of their hometown (Jerusalem), Ottelenghi and Tamimi beautifully demonstrate how to make delicious Middle Eastern dishes, both familiar and exotic. 

This cookbook is one I am going to reach for in the years to come, not only for its tasty recipes, but also for the wonderful stories about Jerusalem. Jerusalem is such a unique and vibrant city given its rich history and importance to three of the world's religions. In just a few hundred pages, Jerusalem manages to capture the energy and spirit of this wonderful city. 

Tabbouleh

from Jerusalem

1/3 cup fine bulgur wheat

2 large tomatoes, ripe but firm

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus a little extra to finish

4 large bunches flat-leaf parsley

2 bunches mint

2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon baharat spice mix

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

If you cannot find fine bulgur wheat or if you do not know what grade bulgur wheat you have, then soak the wheat in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the bulgur, and then leave it to dry in a fine sieve.

Put the bulgur in a fine sieve and run under cold water until the water rinsing through looks clear. Transfer to a large mixing bow.

Using a small serrated knife, cut the tomatoes into slices 1/4 inch thick. Cut each slice in 1/4 inch strips, and then into dices. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the bowl, along with the shallot and lemon juice. Stir well.

Take a few sprigs of parsley and pack them together tightly. Use a large, very sharp knife to trim off most of the stems and discard. Use the knife to move up the stems and leaves, gradually "feeding" the knife in order to shred the parsley as finely as you can. Try to avoid cutting pieces wider than 1/32 inch. Add to the pick.

Pick the mint leaves off the stems, pack a few together tightly, and shred them finely as you did the parsley. Add to the bowl.

Finally, add the allspice, baharat, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if you like.