A feast from the middle east
Issue #20
How to serve up some super-yummy pita bread, hummus, and israeli salad
By Stephanie Levi
Published: June 17th, 2004 | 2:22pm
Homemade Pita
1 package yeast (I prefer quick rising yeast)
1 cup very warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups flour, plus more for kneading
Sprinkle the yeast into a mixing bowl with the sugar, add the water. Proof the yeast by watching to ensure that the yeast rise to the surface of the water—this means that they are alive and the pita will rise and form a pocket in a hot oven. Add the salt, and add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough follows the spoon as you stir. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for about five minutes, until you can poke your finger into the dough and it springs back nicely when you remove your finger. Cut the dough into fourths. Cut each fourth into three pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle. Place the circles on floured dishtowels, cover with additional dishtowels and let rise 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the oven. My mom’s secret to perfect pita was to put untreated terra cotta tiles into the oven to make a homemade stone oven, but you can just put an ungreased cookie sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place two or three rounds of risen dough on the tiles or sheet and bake 2-4 minutes, or until the pitas have puffed up—you’ll have to keep your eye on this. Remove from the oven, let them cool a bit, and if you need to, carefully release the hot steam by pressing the rounds with a spatula, making sure to keep your distance so you don’t get burned.
Makes about 12 pita rounds.
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Homemade Hummus
3 cups chickpeas
2/3 cup tahini, stirred
3 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
juice of fresh lemon
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover them overnight in a bowl. Drain the chickpeas. In a large saucepan, boil about six cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat, add the chickpeas and simmer, covered for one hour or until the chickpeas are tender. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the chickpeas and let cool until they are just warm. Put the chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade and add the garlic. Pulse until the chickpeas are finely ground. Add the tahini, olive oil and lemon juice and process until everything is smooth. Add a bit of the cooking water if the hummus is too thick. The hummus should be smooth, soft and creamy. Spread hummus on a plate, make a depression in the center with a spoon, drizzle olive oil into the center and sprinkle with paprika.
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Israeli Salad
Two very large tomatoes, diced
One medium cucumber, diced
4 scallions, white part and lower green part, sliced
Juice from fresh lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste.
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[Note: look for Levi's homemade falafel recipe in issue No. 20!]
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