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Hummus Fatteh
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Hummus fatteh is a dish that melds hummus with shards of crisped bread, yielding a superb mix of creamy and crunchy textures with earthy, nutty flavors. We tasted many versions of the dish during a recent visit to Amman, Jordan; our version combines the best qualities of our favorites. Though many restaurants now use regular, open-crumbed bread (for example, sub rolls) to make hummus fatteh, toasted flatbread is traditional and what we greatly prefer because its sturdy crispness stands up nicely to the hummus. We use pita bread and oven-bake the rounds before breaking them into bits and combining them with hummus made from canned chickpeas. A good dose of garlic, fresh green chilies, sumac and both lemon zest and juice spark up the flavors. Butter-toasted almonds are a typical—and delicious!—garnish. From home cook Rawan Mohamad Abuead we learned to use ghee for even more complex flavor; olive oil works well, too, but skip regular butter, as the milk solids have a tendency to scorch. Once the dish is assembled, serve it right away.
6 to 8
Servings
Don’t forget to reserve ½ cup of the chickpea liquid before draining. You will need it to make the hummus. Also, don’t worry if the hummus is quite loose after processing. It will be thinner than store-bought hummus, but this is intentional. The hummus will thicken up after the toasted pita is tossed in.
50 minutes
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1
tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus ½ cup lemon juice, divided
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1
cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
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4
medium garlic cloves, finely grated
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2-3
jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced
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3
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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2
8-inch pita breads, each split into 2 rounds
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3
teaspoons ground cumin, divided
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1½
teaspoons ground sumac, divided
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2
15½-ounce cans chickpeas, ½ cup liquid reserved, then drained
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⅓
cup plus ½ cup tahini, divided
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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2
tablespoons ghee or extra-virgin olive oil (see headnote)
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½
cup slivered almonds
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01Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, ¼ cup of the lemon juice, the parsley, garlic and jalapeños; set aside.
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02Brush the oil onto the pita breads, coating both sides of each round, then sprinkle on both sides with 2 teaspoons of the cumin and 1 teaspoon of the sumac. Place the rounds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the pita is browned and crisp, 8 to 9 minutes, flipping the rounds halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Break the pita into rough 1-inch pieces.
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03In a food processor, combine 2 cups of the chickpeas, ⅓ cup of the tahini, the remaining ¼ cup lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until almost smooth, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining ½ cup tahini, the ½ cup reserved chickpea liquid and half of the parsley-chili mixture. Process until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed, 2 to 3 minutes.
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04Transfer the hummus to a large bowl. Add the remaining whole chickpeas (about 1 cup) and the toasted pita. Toss to combine, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
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05In a small skillet over medium, melt the ghee (if using oil, heat it until shimmering). Add the almonds and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Pour the mixture over the fatteh, then sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon sumac and the remaining parsley-chili mixture.