Homemade Pitas, Hummus and Fatouche

Cakes and I both love Middle Eastern food. Our favourite restaurant (well, one of the many favourites really) before we left Melbourne was Bedouin Kitchen which served kind of a Lebanese/Greek/Egyptian/Persian style of food, primarily in  small dishes for sharing: Mezze. It was fantastic, a great place to meet and spend time with friends. Despite the fact that we love this style of food so much, and the fact that I have owned , for quite some time, several great cookbooks from Melbourne’s top Lebanese chef, Greg Malouf, other than one memorable foray while we still lived in Melbourne (Yikes! Was that really three years ago?), I rarely seem to cook anything even remotely middle eastern.

Last week Cakes and I went to a great little Lebanese restaurant fairly close to our house, the Parkallen. I wrote about it when we first moved to Edmonton and on Wednesday morning I reviewed it for CBC.

I particularly love their hummus and their fatouche salad and it seems, every time we are there that is part of what we order.

We love it so much in fact that even after stuffing ourselves silly there, and having enough leftovers for a whole other complete meal, the next day I was consumed by the need to make my own hummus and pitas and fatouche. Coincidentally, if your friends and neighbours don’t mind that you stink of garlic in the afternoon, it makes a great lunch!

For the Pitas, I used Farmgirl’s recipe, replacing all the flour with whole wheat flour. These pitas turned out lovely and soft, perfect for cutting in wedges and dipping in homemade hummus. This hummus recipe is very lemony and perhaps a bit garlicky as well, which is just fine with me. It’s also got a bit of kick from the red pepper, which, although not traditional, is my preference. I like hummus that bites back. The fatouche recipe is really an amalgam of the variations on it that I have tasted. There are several restaurants in Edmonton that do a version of this salad and they are all pretty good. I keep a canister of toasted seasoned pitas in my cupboard so I can make this whenever I want.

Spicy hummus
1 14-ounce tin of organic chickpeas
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons organic tahini
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt
Pepper
Water, as needed for processing
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Process chickpeas, garlic, tahini, red pepper, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Dribble in water by the spoonful until the mixture is smooth and the consistency of a dip. Stir in as much salt and pepper as you like. Stir through the baking soda. Allow to sit for several minutes. This can be made ahead several days and gets spicier and more flavourful after 24 hours or so. Makes just shy of 2 cups.

Fatouche

1 large pita
Salt, pepper
Spray on olive oil
½ head romaine lettuce, shredded
½ cup minced fresh Italian parsley
½ English cucumber quartered lengthwise and sliced
½ a small red onion, sliced in paper thin half rounds
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped
3 ripe romas chopped (or a half pint of cherry tomatoes, halved)
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil
1/3 cup coarsely grated hard Greek cheese such as Keflalotyri or Kefalograviera (optional)

Open pita and split along side seams so that you have 2 rounds. Spray the front and back of each round with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake on a cookie sheet at 325F until dried and toasted. Remove from oven and let cool. Crush into pieces about 1-2 cm (1/2”-1”) square.

Meanwhile, combine the vegetables in a bowl. Mix well. Drizzle over 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and pour on lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the salad well to combine the dressing ingredients and coat the vegetables. Mix in toasted pita chips and cheese, if using. Serve immediately

Comments

[Rosa]

Nice Pita bread! I also love that kind of food...

[Kalyn]

This is also one of my very favorite types of food, and something I rarely make at home. I have no idea why.

[Ian McKenzie]

The Parkallen is one of our favourites in Edmonton.

I don't know why I've never thought of your method for creating pita "chips". All the time I've spent cutting even wedges and seasoning and toasting and turning the bits to make sure they don't burn... sometimes it's not worth the effort. I think there's going to be a lot more hummus and pita served at our place. ;)

[connie]

i love homemade hummus, but i have yet to try my hand at homemade pita! i will have to follow your example!

[Lydia]

For me, making pita was something I needed to do once -- and never again! It was great fun to watch it rise in the oven, delicious to eat when it was still warm, and a pain to clean up all of the flour that had sprayed itself around the oven! Hummus and fatouche are fabulous, and you're lucky to have good middle eastern food nearby. Here in Providence, we have wonderful markets, but no great restaurants that specialize in this cuisine.

[Brilynn]

You got your pitas to puff! Mine did not. well done.

[catherine Ross]

Love this salad! Just finished mine in fact!

[home cook]

Wow ..what a dreamy pictures you post on your blog! I like pitas but never make it at home. Grate idea.

[Dianka]

Yum, this looks delicious, I love hummus, I have to try your recipe.

[Rachael]

I am so excited to try to make my own Pita. I'd better learn fast too...Im teaching a class that includes it next month! LOL. I think I will steal your recipe for sure. Thanks doll!