Chopped Vegetable Salad (page 280)
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Acre
Hummus
M A K H L U T A H U M M U S W I T H F U L M E D A M E S ,
C H I C K P E A S , A N D O L I V E O I L
Makhluta is the Arabic word for the plaster mixed with grainy sand that is used in construction.
It is also the name for the hearty meal that builders partake in early in the morning, to sustain them
throughout the day.
Serves 4
1. Using a mortar and pestle, mash garlic, lemon juice,
and salt to a paste.
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 2 lemons
2. Transfer to a bowl and add 2 cups (500 grams) each
2 teaspoons salt
of the chickpeas and fava beans. Add the olive oil
3 cups (750 grams) Cooked Chickpeas for Salads
and mash together to a chunky paste.
and Stews (pages 176-7)
One 14-ounce can (400 grams) fava beans (ful
3. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining
medames), available at Middle Eastern speciality
1 cup (250 grams) of the chickpeas, a drizzle of
stores or online
olive oil, the onions and parsley, and serve with pita.
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup (25 grams) chopped parsley leaves
½ medium onion, chopped
To Serve
Saj Pita (page 318) or Pita Pockets (page 124)
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317
Acre
Hummus
S A J P I T A
M N A Z Z A L E H E G G P L A N T , B E L L P E P P E R ,
A N D C H I C K P E A S T E W
In Arab kitchens across the Levant, pita bread is commonly baked on a saj, a domed griddle that is the
closest thing to having a taboon oven at home. It turns out a wok can be used as an improvised saj:
Turn a wok upside down and place it over the largest flame on your stove, heat it until it is extremely
The freshest, tastiest eggplants are the ones with smooth, taut, shiny skin that are light for their size.
hot, place the thinly rolled-out dough carefully on top, and watch the magic happen.
(Simply hold a few eggplants and compare.)
Makes 8 pitas
1. Place the flour, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a
Serves 6
1. Place the eggplants and peppers on a charcoal grill
stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment,
or on a metal rack placed on the stovetop.
3½ cups (490 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
and mix well. Pour in the water gradually and knead
2 large eggplants
Roast, turning occasionally, until the skins are
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until the
2 large red bell peppers
charred and separated from the flesh, 4 to 5 minutes
1 tablespoon sugar
dough just comes together.
2 cups (500 grams) Cooked Chickpeas for Salads
on the grill, or 7 to 8 minutes on the stovetop. Place
1¹⁄₃ cups (320 milliliters) water
and Stews (pages 176-7)
the peppers in a plastic bag and seal for an hour,
2 teaspoons salt
2. Add the salt and pour in the oil while continuing
2 garlic cloves, crushed
allowing the steam to further soften them.
¼ cup (60 milliliters) oil, vegetable or olive, plus
to knead for another 5 minutes, until the dough
1 small red onion, chopped
more for coating the dough
is soft.
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2. Transfer both eggplants to a cutting board and
2 tablespoons apple or citrus vinegar
slice in half. Spoon out the flesh and transfer to a
Note
3. Rub the dough in oil, place in a clean, large plastic
4 tablespoons corn or sunflower oil
strainer. Let strain for half an hour.
Once a wok is used upside down for making
bag, close it, and cover with a towel. Let the dough
Pinch of ground cumin
pita over an open fire, it should no longer be used
rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in volume.
Pinch of hot paprika
3. Skin the bell peppers (don’t worry if there are some
for other cooking.
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
remaining charred bits; they will add flavor and a
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into
smoky character), remove the seeds, and tear them
balls. Cover with a towel and let rest for another
into to one-inch strips.
15 minutes.
4. Place the strained eggplant and bell-pepper strips
5. Place a wok upside down on the hottest burner
in a bowl, add the chickpeas, garlic, onion, and
on your stovetop and bake over high heat, until
parsley. Dress with vinegar, oil, cumin, paprika, salt,
sizzling hot.
and white pepper, and mix well. Season to taste.
6. Using your hands or a rolling pin, stretch or roll
a dough ball on a well-floured surface into a 7- to
8-inch (28- to 30-centimeter) diameter circle.
Carefully place the dough on the wok and bake until
bubbles appear on the surface. Turn the flatbread
over and bake on the other side for a few seconds.
Transfer the saj pita to a cutting board and cover with
a towel to retain the heat, stacking the pitas as they
cook. Repeat with the remaining dough.
318
319
Acre
At Falafel Arafe at the entrance to
Acre’s Old City, three generations of
the Arafe family have been serving
sizzling falafel since 1959.
320
Saïd changed the way hummus joints
Hummus
operate in Acre, from quick stop-over
meals to a full dining experience
infused with freshly pressed olive oil
and warm pitas baked on the spot.
323
“I am married to hummus,” says
Acre
Hummus
Suheila at her Abu Sohil Hummus
eatery, which she has been operating
since 1993.
325
Hummus
327
Acre
328
329
Acre
Hummus
330
331
Hummus
333
Hummus
تويرب
H U M M U S W I T H O U T B O R D E R S · C H I C K P E A S C A N C H A N G E
T H E W O R L D · H U M M U S W I T H S Q U I D I N K A N D B O T T A R G A
F A T T E T H U M M U S C R I S P Y P I T A L A Y E R E D W I T H C H I C K P E A S , Y O G U R T ,
A N D T A H I N I · B E A N S F I T F O R A K I N G
Beirut
F A T A Y E R C H I C K P E A A N D W I L D S P I N A C H P I E S · M A G H M O U R
V E G E T A R I A N M O U S S A K A · S H U L B A T A B U L G U R P I L A F W I T H C H I C K P E A S
B A L I L A G A R L I C - C U M I N C H I C K P E A S
H U M M U S B E I R U T I
תורייב
335
Beirut
Hummus
336
337
Hummus
341
Beirut
> 344
Beirut
Laffa flatbread, also known as
Hummus
Druze pita or wrap, is made by
spinning the dough in the air,
slapping it on a round pillow, and
then flipping it onto a dome-shaped
griddle ( saj) set over an open fire.
347
Beirut
Hummus
H U M M U S W I T H O U T B O R D E R S
Karim Haidar
I cannot say that I was nurtured with hummus as a child in Beirut. Although
I loved to linger in kitchens, I have no memory of chickpeas soaking in water.
I have carefully searched in the nooks and crannies of my consciousness: No
pestle and mortar, no food processor blending creamy hummus bi tahine, no
corner stalls selling hummus or falafel, no fattet for breakfast – nothing!
I don’t think, as a child, that I even made the connection between the little dried
beans and the purée that we scooped up with bread to accompany grilled meats.
We may have even bought it ready-made. I’ll have to check with my mother…
If the chickpea was part of my life in Beirut, it was merely as a byproduct, coming
in casually through the back door.
To begin with, there were damé – roasted and salted chickpeas that were part of
the famous mix of nuts and dried beans that is an essential component of the
Lebanese aperitif. Then there were the mlabas chickpeas, those same little roasted
beans, this time coated in sugar. These childhood treats came in white, pink, or
blue. Many years later I served them with coffee in one of my restaurants. Finally,
there were the em laybene, that we would buy from street vendors when they
were in season, when we strolled along the coast. These were young chickpeas,
still green, picked fresh from the vine and still attached to their stems! There
was nothing else.
Because of the war in Lebanon, I ended up in Paris alone, with my brother.
And although I had an irresistible urge for kibbeh, fried red mullet, grilled meats,
quail in pomegranate molasses, small birds, kichik, awarma, garlic cream, sfiha,
ashta, arisheh… I never once gave any thought to hummus. Of course, the few
times I went to Lebanese restaurants, mainly with my European friends, I barely
noticed the hummus that was invariably part of the meal.
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Beirut
Hummus
And yet, my passion for food and cooking has always been limitless. Meals have
cilantro and green chile, mandarin and cardamom, or labneh and mint… I even
always been at the center of my life. I was passionate about diversity, quality,
invented a recipe for hummus ice-cream.
and discovery. When I first arrived in France I even made it a point to try only
dishes that were unfamiliar to me.
Hummus as a purée inspired me to look more closely at the chickpea itself.
I began to realize the gustatory richness of this bean and its vast possibilities.
I remember that blessed day when I was 15, on a trip to Brittany with my parents;
I participated in a project involving casual dining centered around the chickpea:
we had lunch in Cancale, where a young and still unknown Rollinger was in the
hummus, fattet, falafel, a chickpea salad, and even chickpeas in milk, like a rice
kitchen. I remember closing my eyes with each bite, to better commune with
pudding, for dessert. In my quest, I worked on new falafel recipes with prawns
the incredible flavors. I wrote a simple sentence in his guest book: “This was
and dill as well as kumquats and cinnamon.
the best day of my life.”
At the same time, looking further afield, I discovered the Niçoise socca and Alain
Rollinger, the artist, inspired me to borrow ingredients and spices that could
Ducasse’s chickpea French fries, after which I experiment with a falafel-based,
have come from our part of the world: Pistachios and sumac that he matched
Middle Eastern-style chickpea French fry, as well as a sweetened version. After
with foie gras and oysters, which I later used with wild rabbit and quail. Then,
all, the chickpea is neither sweet nor savory, and is grown and cultivated nearly
one day, after ten years of studying and practicing law, I decided to open my own
everywhere on the planet. Our recipes from the Levant were permeated and
Lebanese restaurant, at 29 rue Dauphine in Paris. The first trademark was going
enriched by encounters with other cultures, and I like to think that, like a baby
to be that it was a Lebanese restaurant with neither tabbouleh nor hummus! It
whose umbilical cord has been cut, the chickpea is rootless. Those who truly
was going to be just fresh produce, simple yet creative cooking. But in a long-
love it shouldn’t try to enclose it in a rigid and abiding state, but rather, let it be
lost corner of my memory, hummus was biding its time…
free, so that it can be infinitely recreated and reinvented.
One day, I wanted to serve my clients kafta. Since I didn’t serve mezzé or grilled
meats but mostly cooked dishes, I was looking for an accompaniment for the
kafta. Remembering my childhood barbecues in Beirut, I wrapped the kafta
Karim Haidar, originally from Lebanon, is the head chef and co-owner of Askini restaurant
in a piece of bread, dipped it into hummus, and devoured it. Sometimes I
in Paris, and the founder of the Academy of Arab Cuisine, which serves as a platform for
added a slice of grilled tomato with sumac to this combination and it became
promoting Arab cuisine worldwide.
umami – the perfect morsel.
And that is how I began to make hummus – in order to share my childhood
memory with my clients. Moreover, this combination of kafta, hummus, and
cherry tomatoes grilled with sumac became one of my signature dishes. Fourteen
years after leaving Beirut, hummus became part of my life.
Years have passed since then, restaurants and projects in my life have multiplied,
and as an expatriate from Beirut, with the freedom that comes with rootlessness,
I began to play around with the longstanding mix of chickpea with tahini and
lemon. I added a touch of orange blossom water, to trick the taste buds, and then
I experimented with chickpea combinations: Puréed with olive oil and cumin,
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Hummus
C H I C K P E A S C A N C H A N G E T H E W O R L D
Enriching the soil with life-giving nutrients
Just as it is good for our nutrition, the power of chickpeas is also harnessed to
enrich the soil with life-giving nutrients. The roots of legumes (plants that bear
their seeds in pods), especially chickpeas, are home to bacteria that transform
atmospheric nitrogen into the organic form needed by other plants to grow.
The variety of amino acids in chickpea plants also contributes to successful crop
rotation and land cultivation.
This is the reason why chickpeas are now considered to be the key to global food
security, and are a crucial source of income and nutrition in developing countries.
In Africa and other locations worldwide, natural farming techniques have been
passed down through the generations, with chickpeas grown in cycles as a proven
practice for sustaining all crops types
without the use of artificial fertilizers.
353
Beirut
Hummus
H U M M U S W I T H S Q U I D I N K A N D B O T T A R G A
F A T T E T H U M M U S C R I S P Y P I T A L A Y E R E D W I T H
C H I C K P E A S , Y O G U R T , A N D T A H I N I
This recipe is a surprise twist on the longstanding mix of chickpeas, tahini, and lemon,
adding squid ink and bottarga to trick the taste buds. Recipe by Karim Haidar
The meaning of the word fa-ta in Arabic means “crumbled bread,” but here it refers to the pita chips
in this Arab bread pudding. This dish makes the best use of beloved ingredients – pita, chickpeas,
tahini, and yogurt – and is good for breakfast or brunch.
Serves 4 as an appetizer
1. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl, add water to
cover by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters), add ¼
1 cup (200 grams) small chickpeas
tablespoon of the baking soda, and soak overnight.
1½ teaspoons baking soda
Serves 4 to 6
1. To prepare the pita chips, preheat the oven to
2 tablespoons raw tahini
2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse thoroughly.
370°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
24 2-inch (5 centimeter) strips of either
parchment paper.
Salt, to taste
3. Transfer the chickpeas to a large, deep saucepan.
Saj Pita (page 318) or Pita Pockets (page 124)
1 teaspoon squid ink
Add the remaining ¼ tablespoon baking soda, add
3 tablespoons olive oil
2. Spread the pita chips in an even layer on the
water to cover by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters),
²⁄₃ teaspoon ground cumin
prepared baking sheet, drizzle on olive oil, season
To Serve
and bring to a simmer. Place the lid so that
1 teaspoon paprika
with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and toss
Chopped chives
the saucepan is half covered and cook until the
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
gently to coat. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.
2 to 2½ ounces (60 to 70 grams) soft bottarga,
chickpeas have softened but retain their shape,
2 tablespoons (30 grams) melted butter
Cool to room temperature.
grated
about 1 hour. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the
Ariel Rosenthal, Orly Peli-Bronshtein, Dan Alexander Page 13