Blending chickpeas with garlic and oil makes a surprisingly creamy puree that is delicious as part of a Turkish-style mezze, or as a dip with vegetables. Leftovers make a good sandwich filler.
Course Appetizers, Easy Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings 4
Ingredients
¾ cup (5 oz/150 g) dried chickpeas
Juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2tbsp(30 ml) olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
⅔ cup (¼ pint/150 ml) tahini paste
Salt and ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil and cayenne pepper, for sprinkling
Flat leaf parsley to garnish
Instructions
Put the chickpeas in a bowl with plenty of cold water and leave to soak overnight.
Drain the chickpeas and cover with fresh water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 90-120 minutes, or until soft. Drain.
Process the chick-peas in a food processor to a smooth puree.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper and tahini and blend until creamy, scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl.
Season the puree with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish.
Sprinkle with oil and cayenne pepper and serve garnished with a few parsley sprigs.
#ETOPIC'S TIP: For convenience, canned chick-peas can be used instead. Allow two 14 oz (400 g) cans and drain them thoroughly. Tahini paste can now be purchased from most supermarkets or health food shops.#