Chickpea Fatteh (Crispy Pita, Chickpeas and Yogurt)

Every family has its own way of making chickpea fatteh. This version, adapted from Sawsan Daana, the Palestinian chef of Matbakhi restaurant in Kuwait City, includes a layer of hummus in addition to the whole chickpeas, as is typical in Amman, Jordan, as well as in Jerusalem, where she was born. Lebanese and Syrian versions skip the hummus and lean more heavily on tahini in the yogurt sauce.

Makes: 4 servings (as a main course) or 8 servings (as part of a spread)

Total time: About 1 hour

For the pita chips:

4 ounces pita bread (about 2 pita), cut into 3/4-inch squares

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

For the chickpeas and hummus (see note):

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Fine sea salt

1/4 cup tahini

For the garlic sauce:

2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1 green chile, such as jalapeño, serrano or Anaheim, seeded and roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (regular or Greek)

2 teaspoons tahini

1/2 to 1 very small garlic clove, finely grated

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the toppings:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds

1 tablespoon butter (if making the meat topping)

1/2 pound boneless beef or lamb (optional); preferably a tender cut such as sirloin, fillet or ribeye, cut into small bite-size cubes

Pomegranate seeds (optional), for garnish

Chopped parsley or other herbs (optional), for garnish

1. Make the pita chips: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss pita squares with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool. (Pita chips can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container.)

2. Make the simmered chickpeas: Place the chickpeas into a small saucepan and add enough water to cover by about an inch. Add the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower to a bare simmer until ready to serve.

3. Next, make the garlic sauce: Use an immersion blender or mini food processor to purée the lemon juice, garlic, green chile and salt, then stir in the oil. (Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle or a chef’s knife to mash or finely chop the garlic, green chile and salt, then stir in the lemon juice and olive oil.)

4. To make the hummus, using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup of the simmered chickpeas to a large liquid measuring cup (if using the immersion blender) or to a mini food processor. Add tahini, ¼ cup of the warm cooking liquid from the chickpeas, 2 teaspoons of the garlic sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, with a thin spreadable consistency that is slightly looser than traditional hummus. If it appears too thick, add more of the chickpea cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time.

5. Make the yogurt sauce: Stir together the yogurt, tahini, garlic and salt in a small bowl until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

6. Right before assembling, prepare the toppings: Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium and toast pine nuts, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. If making the meat topping, melt the butter in the same pan, add the beef and cook over medium-high, stirring, until cooked through and just starting to brown, 3 to 5 to minutes.

7. To assemble, spread the pita chips on a serving platter. Spoon half of the garlic sauce on top. Using a slotted spoon, drain the remaining chickpeas well and scatter over the pita. Spread the hummus on top, then spoon on the yogurt sauce. If you’ve made the meat topping, add it now, along with the pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and herbs, if using. Finish with the remaining garlic sauce. Serve immediately.

Note: If using thick pita bread, split into two halves before cutting into squares. You could also replace the pita bread with flour tortillas or roti. You can use store-bought hummus, though results will vary depending on the brand’s flavor and quality. In that case, omit one can of chickpeas. Many versions of chickpea fatteh omit the hummus layer and instead increase tahini in yogurt sauce. To omit the hummus, adjust yogurt sauce as follows: Increase the tahini to 3/4 cup, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and use an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt.