Pita Chips and Hummus are very close to the top of our snacking list. I’ve even been known to make an entire meal of them. But more often than not it was a last minute thought, as we browsed the grocery store aisles. That changed recently as I’ve become quite the connoisseur and collector of fine legumes. I’m not as fanatical about them as I am about Zinfandel or Cabernet but legumes have a certain charm, that can’t be denied.
“I was determined to know beans. — Henry David Thoreau
Like a big red wine, legumes need some front end love, to get the most from them. A tannic Cabernet Sauvignon needs to breathe for awhile before enjoying it and tasty legumes need to soak for awhile before cooking. The longer the better too. This was a hard lesson for me and has allowed me to truly enjoy the magic and beauty that beans have to offer. That and the Insta-Pot.
The Insta-Pot changed my life. No more long, low and slow legume sessions. The electric steam kettle makes fast work of anything I have stored in the dried legume cellar; black beans, red beans, navy beans, split peas, lentils or garbanzos. It doesn’t matter, in less than a half hour; start to finish, we have luscious, digestible legumes.
We were working on the weekly menu plan the other day and knocking ideas around about what to create in the kitchen when we hit on Pita chips and Hummus. We’ve made Hummus a few times and had some Tahini in the larder for just that, so we worked out the logistics. I went to the Bean Cellar and located a fine vintage of dried Garbanzos and put them in the pot to soak for 24 hours. Garbanzo beans or Chickpeas may be the first ever cultivated legume; a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
Then I fed the Sourdough culture and mixed up the cull with some whole wheat and all purpose flour to ferment for about the same period. Half that time was spent in the fridge to retard the fermentation and bring up that sour flavor that makes it all worth while. In my younger days I could have never been a Sourdough Baker. It takes time, patience, self-control and a process. I have some of that now that I’ve learned to slow down a bit.
“There comes a point in your life when you need to stop eating other people’s bread and make your own!” ― Chris Geiger
Vickie worked out the Hummus, determining what we had and what we needed. I voted for roasted red pepper accents but she gave me her look and said, “no way, I’m going with the classic garlicky goodness; it’s hard to beat the original.” I just shook my head, a little saliva leaking from the corner of my mouth. So once the Chickpeas were cooked and cooled, she slaved over the food processor for a few minutes and wha-la; beautiful, creamy, slather-worthy, bean spread.
I rolled out the Pita rounds and baked them on the pizza stone that pretty much lives in the oven full time. Like making tortillas, in the oven instead of on the stove top; a little thicker too. I saved a few back for some stuffed pitas and turned the rest into chips. IMHO they were much better than Stacy’s, the ones we usually buy at the market. And I’ve found another use for the leftover sourdough culture at feeding time.
“…no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” ― Julia Child