Let's get dipping (eBook)

Classic hummus

This hugely popular tasty, nutty-flavoured Middle Eastern dip is so easy to make at home. Serve it with pitta bread, falafel or vegetable crudités as a snack or alongside other mezze dishes for a light meal.

125 g/¾ cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

salt

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed to a paste in a mortar with a pestle

4 tablespoons tahini

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

toasted or griddled pitta bread, to serve

TO GARNISH

extra virgin olive oil

paprika or sumac

finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

SERVES 4–6

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water with the bicarbonate of soda.

Next day, drain and rinse. Put in a large pan, add enough fresh cold water to cover well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 50–60 minutes until tender, skimming off any scum. Season the chickpeas with salt, then drain, reserving the cooking water and setting aside 1 tablespoon of the cooked chickpeas for the garnish.

In a food processor, blend together the cooked chickpeas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice. Gradually add the cooking liquid until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Season with salt.

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl. To serve, make a shallow hollow in the centre using the back of a spoon. Pour in a little olive oil, top with the reserved whole chickpeas, a sprinkle of paprika or sumac and the chopped parsley. Serve with toasted or griddled pitta bread.

Variations

Roast garlic hummus Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4. Cut about 1-cm/½-in. off the top of a whole bulb of garlic and discard. Loosely wrap the garlic in foil and roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes until very soft. Let cool. Squeeze the soft garlic cloves out of their skins and add to the chickpeas when blending.

Griddled vegetable hummus On a barbecue/grill or in a griddle/grill pan, cook slices of sweet red or yellow (bell) pepper, aubergine/eggplant and/or courgette/zucchini that have been tossed with a little olive oil. Add to the chickpeas when you blend them.

Roasted red pepper & chickpea hummus

This delightfully quick and easy hummus is perfect as it comes, but is even better with a bit of tangy feta cheese crumbled over the top.

50 g/2 oz. roasted red (bell) peppers from a jar or can

400-g/14-oz. can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained (reserve a splash of the liquid)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, lightly crushed

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ fresh red chilli/chile (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

a little crumbled feta cheese (optional)

MAKES ABOUT 500 G/2 CUPS

Add all the ingredients to a food processor (including a splash of chickpea liquid) and blitz until you have a smooth paste. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice and/or salt as preferred. Transfer to a serving bowl. If you wish, sprinkle a little crumbled feta over the top.

Feel free to add any soft green herbs you like to the food processor as another option (fresh basil works very well with the red pepper).

Tomato salsas

Nothing beats a simple, refreshing and appealingly textured relish, to serve alongside cold meat platters, atop hamburgers or as part of a Mexican feast. These four variations use the same tomato base to offer vibrant, colourful, tropical-tasting, summertime salsas that add a zingy taste to any plate.

TOMATO, APPLE & TARRAGON

300 g/10 oz. tomatoes

1 apple, peeled, cored and diced

freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon

3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

TOMATO & SWEETCORN

300 g/10 oz. tomatoes

the kernels from 1 cob/ear of corn

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

a pinch of smoked paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper

TOMATO & MANGO

300 g/10 oz. tomatoes

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of ½ lime

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

CHILLI TOMATO

300 g/10 oz. tomatoes

2 red chillies/chiles (see method Note)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

salt and freshly ground black pepper

ALL SERVE 4

For each of the salsas, halve the tomatoes and scoop out the soft seedy pulp, creating tomato shells. Finely dice the tomato shells, discarding the hard, white, stem base.

In a bowl, toss together the diced tomato and all the remaining ingredients for your chosen salsa. Season with salt and black pepper, and serve.

Note: To prepare the chillies, grill/broil them until charred on all sides. Wrap in a plastic bag (so that the steam will make them easier to peel) and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel, deseed and finely chop the chillies, being careful to wash your hands thoroughly after handling. Once prepared, use the chopped chillies following the method above.

Taramasalata

This delicious Greek dip is easier to make from scratch than you might think. Using a decent blender is key, as the texture should be smooth and light. Serve with olives and plenty of toasted pitta bread for a light lunch or snack, or as part of a mezze feast with other dips and small plates.

200 g/7 oz. can cod roe, drained

1 small red onion, grated

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 chunky slice of toasted bread

50 ml/3½ tablespoons milk

100 ml/7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

olives

toasted pitta bread

MAKES ABOUT 500 G/2 CUPS

Add the drained cod roe to a food processor, breaking it up with the back of a fork, then add the grated onion, cayenne pepper and lemon juice and season generously with salt and black pepper.

Soak the toasted bread in the milk for a minute, then squeeze out the excess liquid and tear the toast into the food processor (discard the leftover milk). Pulse everything in the food processor to begin with, then increase the speed and start drizzling in the olive oil until it has all been added.

Add a couple of tablespoons of water at the end to smooth the taramasalata if needed. Taste, adding more salt, lemon juice or cayenne as preferred.

Serve in a bowl with a little extra drizzle of olive oil, a few olives alongside and some toasted pitta bread for dipping.

Creamy fava & chicory dip

This soft, creamy mixture of puréed dried broad/fava beans is found in Puglia, southern Italy, where it is called ‘ncapriata or fave e cicoria. A similar dish called ‘macco’ is served in Sicily, where it is often mixed with wild fennel. The delicious dip itself is made from split dried beans that are already shelled, so you can skip that laborious task.

250 g/1⅓ cups split dried broad/fava beans

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

100 ml/½ cup olive oil, plus extra for frying

500 g/1 lb. chicory/endive

2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt

extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

toasted sourdough bread, to serve

SERVES 4–6

In a large saucepan, boil the beans and potato in enough water to cover the beans by 4 cm/2 in. for about 1 hour. Add more boiling water during cooking if the mixture gets too dry. By the time the beans are cooked, most of the water should have been absorbed. Beat in the olive oil until you have a thick, smooth purée, then season well with salt.

Meanwhile, boil or steam the chicory. While cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan/skillet, and gently sauté the garlic, then toss the drained chicory in the garlicky oil.

To serve, spoon the dip into a bowl and top with the garlicky chicory. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve with slices of toasted sourdough bread.

Cucumber, mint & dill tzatziki

A Greek classic, this creamy combination of yogurt, cucumber with fresh mint and dill is so simple to make but uniquely refreshing.

1 large, firm cucumber

½ teaspoon salt, plus 2 pinches

400 g/2 scant cups Greek/US strained plain yogurt

2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint and dill, plus extra sprigs to garnish

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

SERVES 4–6

Peel, deseed and dice the cucumber, reserve a little to garnish. Sprinkle the rest of it with ½ teaspoon salt, mix well and set aside for 5 minutes. Wrap the cucumber in a spotlessly clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the liquid.

Put in a bowl, reserving a few pieces to garnish, then add the remaining ingredients. Mix together well and serve, garnished with cucumber and dill, if you like.

Variations

Beetroot /beet tzatziki Add 1 medium raw grated beetroot and 2 tablespoons chopped chives to the mixture.

Olive tzatziki Stir 100 g/¾–1 cup finely chopped pitted black or green olives into the cucumber and yogurt mixture.

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