Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [35]
Hummus
1 cup dried chickpeas
4 cups water
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Fattet
2 whole pitas, split in half
1½ cups Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup chopped fresh mint or cilantro leaves
To make the hummus, thoroughly rinse the chickpeas, then place them, along with the water, in the slow cooker insert.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain the chickpeas, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water. (You can reserve the rest of the cooking water for thickening soups or stews.) Measure out ½ cup of the cooked chickpeas, coarsely chop them, and set them aside.
Place the whole chickpeas in the workbowl of a food processor. Press in the garlic, then add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cooking water only if needed to thin the consistency. Add salt to taste.
To make the fattet, in a toaster oven or under a broiler, toast the pita halves until lightly browned or crisp. Arrange the pita halves on individual plates, then spread each pita with about ⅓ cup hummus. (Reserve the leftover hummus for another use). Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of the chopped chickpeas, a generous dollop of yogurt, a pinch of cumin seed, ¼ cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts, and 1 tablespoon of chopped mint.
Serve immediately.
Variations: Try adding artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, or roasted peppers when processing the hummus.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: If I were drinking wine with this, I would probably choose something light, aromatic, and white or something dry and rosy pink. That’s if I were drinking wine with it. But “tostada” somehow makes me lust after a good beer.
HOT OR COLD LENTILS IN LEMON JUICE
Serves 4
Here is another of those very simple, very refreshing, and delicious dishes using lentils. This is a Lebanese recipe, but it could just as easily come from Greece, Turkey, or anywhere in the Middle East. Serve warm or cold with pita, feta, and olives.
1 cup dried lentils
4 cups water
4 cloves garlic, crushed
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste
½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Rinse the lentils thoroughly, being sure to remove any small stones or dirt. Place the lentils in the slow cooker insert along with the water.
Cover and cook on low for about 2 hours, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. (You want them slightly al dente.)
Drain the lentils and rinse them in cold water. Just before serving, add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the parsley.
Serve hot or cold.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: This is one of those dishes where I would enjoy a beer or even an icy-cold glass of Greek retsina.
ARMENIAN APRICOT SOUP
Serves 4 to 6
All right, Armenia can’t really be considered “Middle East,” but it is part of the botanically very important Trans-Causcasian region that begins in Iran. Botanically important because nearly all of our favorite stone fruits (cherries, peaches, apricots, etc.) had their beginnings in this region. This unusual soup combines the apricots of the region with lentils and vegetables. There are many variations and many ingredient possibilities, including bell peppers, tomatoes, mint, allspice, cinnamon, and paprika. In some versions, the lentils and vegetables are left whole; in others, they are puréed. Vary the soup to suit your taste.
1 cup dried lentils
6 cups water
1 onion, chopped