Using a pastry bag to pipe the hummus onto the pita toasts saved us a lot of time (and made for nice-looking hors d'oeuvres). You can make your own pastry bag with a heavy-duty plastic bag. Just spoon the hummus into the bag and squeeze it into one corner. Then snip off the corner to make a small hole and begin piping.
Active time: 1 hr. Start to finish: 1 hr.
- 10 (5- to 6-inch) pita pockets
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- For hummus:
- 4 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
- 2 (15 1/2-oz.) cans chick-peas, rinsed
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup stirred tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
- 11 1/2-oz. jar smoked whitefish caviar
- Garnish:
- 160 small fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Halve pitas horizontally and stir together oil and paprika. Brush rough sides of pitas with paprika oil and season with salt. Cut each pita round into 8 wedges and bake in single layers on a large baking sheet in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until crisp.
Make hummus:
Finely grind cumin seeds in an electric coffee/spice grinder. Purée chick-peas in a food processor with cumin, garlic, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, and salt and add enough water to make smooth.
Assemble hors d'oeuvres:
Put hummus in a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain tip. Pipe a scant 1/2 teaspoon onto each pita toast and top with 1/4 teaspoon caviar.
Cooks' notes:
- Pita toasts may be made 2 days ahead, cooled, and kept in sealable plastic bags at room temperature.
- Hummus can be made (without lemon juice so parsley remains green) 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Stir in lemon juice just before assembling.
From "Gourmet
" magazine, September 1999
| middle eastern recipe index | christina m k al-sudairy | 69% off gourmet! |
