EDITOR’S LETTER
SERVES 6-8 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 1 HR 40 MINS (PLUS SOAKING, COOLING)
I’ve only lined up for hummus once, but it was well worth the wait. It was a hot morning on the waterfront in Tel Aviv and the crowd that had gathered around Abu Hassan made it look like they were giving it away for free. I struggled to the front, fought for a spot at a shared table and had my first taste of musabaha, morning hummus, still warm and textured with whole chickpeas, served with ful, raw onion, hot sauce and bread. In that mouthful I understood that hummus is a meal, the star of the table, not just a side dish or a final resting place for limp crudités.
The theme of this issue is the Middle East, but the broader theme is how, along with people, recipes travel, immigrate, evolve and keep culture alive. The history of how Australia fell in love with food from Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Iran and the region isn’t well documented. As historian Alecia Simmonds explains in Suburban Spice Routes (page 68), “It’s a secret history that can only be gleaned through peering over backyard fences, inviting ourselves into family kitchens and uncovering the lives of those whose survival once depended on concealing their aromatic herbs from delicate Anglo-Saxon nostrils.”
From hummus to the halal snack pack, this issue is a celebration of the people, places and dishes that helped food from the Middle East carve out a special place in our culinary culture.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the very real and devastating impact of ongoing violence and conf lict in the region. Like all Australians, our hopes and thoughts are with all those whose lives are affected by these tragedies. I want to mention in particular that we are passionately supporting #BakeForSyria, #CookForSyria and the Ration Challenge, all happening over the next few weeks. All the details are in our news section on page 19.
“This is a take on the traditional Lebanese dish of hummus topped with minced lamb,” says Abboud. “Hummus is a recipe that can be prepared with little effort, but can take years to make it special.” Begin this recipe a day ahead to soak the chickpeas.
250 gm calamari, cleaned and scored, tentacles reserved
1 tsp olive oil
50 gm butter, melted
1½ tbsp thinly sliced flat-leaf parsley
Sweet paprika, to serve Turkish bread, to serve HUMMUS 250 gm dried chickpeas
Large pinch of bicarbonate of soda
80 ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice 100 gm hulled tahini 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 For hummus, soak chickpeas with bicarbonate of soda in
2.5 litres water overnight. Drain, place in a large saucepan with 2.5 litres water, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until almost falling apart (1-2 hours). Add 2 tsp salt, stir and set aside to soak for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 125ml cooking liquid and set 50gm chickpeas aside to garnish. Process remaining chickpeas in a food processor until very smooth (3-5 minutes). Add lemon juice, tahini and garlic, season to taste and process until combined, adding reserved cooking liquid 1 tbsp at a time until smooth. Cool.
2 Preheat a barbecue to high or a char-grill pan over high heat. Toss calamari with oil in a bowl and grill until just cooked (1-2 minutes per side), then cut into small pieces.
3 Top hummus with calamari and reserved chickpeas, drizzle with butter, scatter with parsley and sweet paprika and serve with warm Turkish bread. Drink suggestion A rosé, such as “Myst” from Château Kefraya, Lebanon.