A new spread on a classic meal
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste 4 large button mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 pieces lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried 2 slices rye bread, lightly toasted
There is nothing quite as satisfying as biting into a creamy chunky spread — be it of tuna salad, egg salad or mashed avocado — on a warm piece of toast.
For variety, try this hummus and mushrooms spread. The sautéed mushrooms have a savoury, meaty taste that pairs well with the nutty chickpeas. This recipe has a touch of cumin and chopped onions for a pop of acidic, watery crunch.
I add tahini, ground sesame seed paste found in the Middle East section of grocers, for extra creamy texture and a hint of nutty flavour. The paste is typically sold in a fairly large bottle and this recipe uses only a tablespoon of it, but you can make tahini a kitchen staple — whisked with lemon juice and olive oil for a quick salad dressing, added to soups and smoothies for a nutty flavour boost or simply spread on toast or used as a dip for raw vegetables. Bakers swear by adding a hint of tahini in their chocolate chip cookies because it yields a complex sweet and nutty undertone to the treats reminiscent of peanut butter cookies.
Chunky Hummus and Mushrooms on Toast
3 Star Tested 1 tbsp (15 mL) tahini 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil, plus more as necessary 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin 1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup (250 mL) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 tbsp (15 mL) red onion, finely minced In a mixing bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil, cumin and garlic. Add chickpeas. Using a potato masher, mash chickpeas until coarse but evenly mixed. Stir in onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if mixture is dry. Set aside.
In a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté mushrooms until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place lettuce on bread. Divide mashed chickpea between bread and top with mushrooms. Serve immediately. Makes 1 serving. karonliu@thestar.ca