After finishing Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, I was craving Middle Eastern food. Specifically, I was craving the Middle Eastern food from my favorite restaurant for that sort of thing. They make this fried eggplant dish that is like candy, and these spicy cooked carrots that burn the tastebuds but are soooo tasty. But instead of running over there for takeout, I wanted to try cooking my typical order at home.
Recipes
Whole Wheat Sourdough Pita adapted from Skillet Baked Whole Wheat Pita (Using Sourdough)
Hummus adapted from Lebanese Hummus Recipe From Scratch – Hummus b Tahini
Fried Eggplant adapted from Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley Dressing
Spicy Carrots adapted from Spicy Carrots for Clear Skin
Process notes
Whole Wheat Sourdough Pita
- 4 oz sourdough starter (fed)
- 4 1/2 oz hard white wheat flour (unsifted)
- 3-4 oz water (filtered)
- 1 tbls honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbls vegetable oil
1:50 p.m.: Mix starter, flour, water, and honey together for a couple of min. (added quite a bit of extra water at this stage), then let sit for 15 min. Then add salt and vegetable oil. Mix for 2 min. on med-low. Do 4 stretch & folds with 5-min. intervals.
2:25 p.m.: Rest dough, covered.
4:00 p.m.: Dough isn’t rising enough, so move to slightly warmed oven until time to make pitas.
5:30 p.m.: Divide dough into 4 pieces and flatten out, using flour. Rest for about 15 min. then cook in hot, unoiled cast iron skillet for a few minutes on each side.
Hummus
- 1/2 lb dried chickpeas*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tbls tahini paste
- 1/3 c fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 to 1 c warm water
Process chickpeas with 1/2 cup warm water for 3 to 5 min. Add garlic, salt, and paprika, and slowly add tahini while processor is running. Slowly add lemon juice while processor is running, then mix for 2 min. Adjust seasoning and add more water if needed.
Serve at room temperature with olive oil drizzled over top.
*I put 1 lb of dried chickpeas in the pressure cooker with some salt and cooked for 40 min., using natural pressure release when done. It yielded 2 1/4 lb (940 gm) cooked chickpeas.
Fried Eggplant
- 2 Philippine eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 tsp salt
- Oil for frying
Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set in colander for 30 min. Then rinse under cold water and wring out water using a thin towel.
Heat oil in skillet and fry for several minutes on each side until golden. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Spicy Carrots
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
- 1 tbls olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Dash of caraway seeds
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 lemon, juiced
Saute carrots in hot oil in nonstick skillet for 5 min. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add cumin, paprika, turmeric, and salt. Saute until fragrant and pasty. Stirn in chili paste, garlic, caraway, honey, and lemon juice. Cook briefly, then serve. This is good at room temperature.
Results
Overall, I’m happy with how things turned out. I’m most excited about the hummus recipe. I had come to the conclusion that I didn’t really like tahini in my hummus, but it turns out that my last container of tahini paste was just really stale. The new one I picked up for this recipe was smooth and has a wonderful flavor. This hummus recipe is the best I’ve ever made and I’ll definitely make it again.
I had some problems with the pita dough sticking to my hands when I placed it in the pan to cook, so some of the pitas are wildly misshapen. They taste good though. Next time I’d try an overnight proofing to help strengthen the gluten (or more kneading), and less water.
The spicy carrots turned out really well. Next time I could up the chili paste a tad bit.
And the fried eggplant was OK, but rather bland — definitely not the magical eggplant I have at the restaurant. I wonder how they do it there…
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