Today's Chronicle's Food section had an article and a bunch of recipes on the theme of beans and grains.
This is the one that caught my attention:
Fattet Hummus (Lebanese Chickpeas with Pita & Yogurt)
Fattet is a layered dish -- a sort of warm bread salad -- made with toasted pita, yogurt and a brothy meat or chickpea stew. In this version, broken chunks of whole wheat pita are softened with hot, brothy chickpeas and topped with a garlicky yogurt and mint sauce. Serve with a green salad for a meatless supper, or serve as a side dish for lamb. Adapted from "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food," by Claudia Roden (Alfred A. Knopf, 2000).
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover generously
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bay leaf
Salt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, preferably whole milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus a few whole leaves for garnish
2 to 3 cloves garlic minced to a paste with a pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 rounds of whole wheat pita
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
Maras or Aleppo red pepper (see Note), cayenne pepper or hot red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS:
Drain the chickpeas and place in a saucepan with 3 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, skimming any foam. Add the smashed garlic and bay leaf, cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until chickpeas are tender, 1 hour or more, depending on age. Remove the garlic and bay leaf, season with salt, and keep hot.
Preheat the oven to 450ยบ.
In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, chopped mint and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Halve the pita rounds horizontally and bake, cut side up, until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Set aside to cool.
Melt the butter in a small skillet over moderately low heat. Add the pine nuts and toast them, stirring often, until golden brown. Keep warm.
Break the toasted pita into smaller pieces and arrange in the bottom of a large, shallow serving bowl. Spoon the hot chickpeas over the pita along with enough of the broth to moisten the pita. If the yogurt sauce is stiff, whisk in a little of the broth to thin. Spoon the yogurt sauce over all, then top with the warm, buttery pine nuts. Sprinkle the surface with mint leaves, torn into smaller pieces, and with red pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
I ended up using canned chickpeas. Also, I squirted just a bit of Sriracha sauce in the beans after they'd simmered for a while (Michael recently discovered that many food benefit from this addition.)
Anyway, it sounds odd, and I was worried the beans would be too bland, but... it was wonderful. The combination of the crunchy pita, the warm beans and the cool yoghurt — and don't forget those pine nuts! — somehow hit the spot.
It actually reminded me a lot of a dish I had at the Chaat Cafe in downtown Berkeley — papri chaat. That one uses lentil wafers and the beans have a spicier sauce, but there's a similar idea of combining textures and temperatures.
