fattet hummus
A great summer fix for lunch or supper. Fattet hummus, Fattet al-hummus or hummus fatteh – depending on where your from, is a wonderful mix of textures and flavours; and if pomegranates are not in season, it can be easily tweaked by incorporating peaches, apricots – or any fruit that adds a burst of sweetness. As with all my salads, this is a meal-in-itself: everything a healthy body needs. And, as always, the quality of the ingredients is of paramount importance: the tomatoes should smell of tomatoes, the chard stems should be crisp and the leaves green and pert.
If you can’t find fried flatbread/ pitta you can make some yourself – well bake some! Simply brush your flatbread/s on both sides with olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before smashing into bitesize pieces.
Serves 2
A small knob of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil
½ bunch of chard
fried or baked flatbread/ pitta
400g cooked chickpeas
1 tsp ground cumin
250g Greek style yoghurt
½ lemon; juice – if organic, you can grate the zest over the finished salad
1 fat garlic clove; crushed
2 tbsp tahini
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
A big knob of butter – 3 tbsp
25g pine nuts
5 good quality cherry tomatoes; halved
A few pinches of Aleppo pepper flakes
Pomegranate arils (see note above)
2 Radishes, thinly sliced
Parsley leaves; roughly chopped
Mint leaves; roughly chopped
Instructions
Put a wide, heavy-bottomed pan on to heat. Add the butter and oil, swirl the pan to cover the bottom. Start with the chopped chard stems, cooking for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped leaves. Turn off the heat and let the leaves wilt before removing to your serving dish.
For the chickpeas, drain and rinse the chickpeas. I like to remove the skins by placing the chickpeas into a large pan of cold water and gentle muddle and rub them between my hands. The lighter skins will pour off with with water – collect and discard them. Drain the chickpeas and pick off any remaining loose skins. Return the chickpeas to the pan and warm over a low heat. Remove from the heat, stir in the cumin and season to taste.
For the yoghurt mix, combine the yoghurt, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice in a bowl. season to taste.
Heat the big knob of butter in a small pan, add the pine nuts and cook to a golden brown. Remove from the heat.
Construct the salad: lay the crisp flatbread pieces over the cooked chard. Follow with the warm chickpeas before pouring over the yoghurt mix. Drizzle over the nut brown butter and pine nuts. Distribute the radish slices, tomato, and fruit. Add parsley, mint, and grated lemon zest – if using. Finish your fattet with a sprinkle of Aleppo chilli flakes. Serve immediately to avoid a soggy (flatbread) bottom.
James and the flat peach x