TURKISH-SPICED CHICKEN HEARTS WITH HUMMUS

SERVES 6 AS A STARTER / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES PLUS 12 HOURS SOAKING TIME / COOKING 1 HOUR PLUS 3 MINUTES

For an extra special, creamy hummus, I like to peel the skin from the cooked chickpeas. It’s an arduous task which can take an hour, but you’ll be amazed at the results.

FOR THE HUMMUS

250g dried chickpeas ¼ teaspoon baking soda 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cloves garlic 4 tablespoons tahini paste ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for at least 12 hours. Drain, put in a large saucepan with the baking soda and cover with about three times the volume of water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for ¾-1 hour or until tender, topping up the water if necessary.

Drain the chickpeas, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid, and cool. At this point you can rub the chickpeas to remove the skins. Put the cooked chickpeas in a food processor with the lemon juice, garlic, tahini and salt. Process to a smooth puree adding the oil and some of the cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency (usually about

3-4 tablespoons). Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

500g chicken hearts, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground

1 teaspoon allspice, ground

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4cm piece fresh turmeric, grated or 1 teaspoon dried powder 75g butter

2 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup flat-leafed parsley leaves flatbread, to serve

Remove any connective tissue from the chicken hearts and chop into pieces. Put in a bowl with the oil, cumin, allspice and cinnamon and mix well. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Put the turmeric and butter in a small saucepan and melt together until the butter is bubbling. Set aside.

Heat a frying pan to hot and fry the chicken hearts with the tomato for about 3 minutes until browned and just cooked through.

To serve, spread the hummus on a plate, top with the hearts, parsley, pour over the turmeric butter and serve with flatbread. MATCH WITH Valdespino Fino Inocente sherry. Mineral notes of warm chalk, ocean breeze, dried hay and damp cellar.

CREDITS Greenwich cutlery from Citta; plate (holding heart) & side dish (banh mi) from Fiona Mackay Ceramics; Hay napkin holder & salt shaker from Everyday Needs; Quater Herbe wall tile from Tile Warehouse; Fine Bone China serving bowl (risotto), Fine Bone China Coupe dinner plate (holding liver), oval leaf bowls & round leaf plate from Father Rabbit. All other props stylist’s own. For full details, see Credits Index.