Cookies Preferences
Several years ago I was asked to participate in a food-waste awareness dinner event and the main ingredient we were supposed to work around was hummus. It was then my job to make it special using vegetables that had been discarded by local supermarkets. I thought what better way to revive these flagging vegetables, than pickle them? I already had some chickpeas so I added those for a bit of extra crunch...and here we are. When the butterboard trend hit Instagram recently, I thought that a hummus board, similar to the one I'd made for that event, would be a fun bit of theater. You might want to make more than one recipe of the hummus depending on the size of your board and play with different pickle ideas. You could include pickled cauliflower or zucchini or mushrooms. Maybe sprinkle a bit of black olive crumb (recipe here) over the top? It's all in fun in the end and quite an impressive centerpiece for your table.
for the hummus
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Pickled beetroot (see recipe here)
Pickled red onions (see recipe here)
Pickled carrots (see recipe here)
for the crispy zaatar chickpeas
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry with a kitchen towel
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons zaatar spice mix
6 radishes, sliced thinly on a mandolin and then julienned
1/4 cup fresh zaatar or oregano leaves
4 rounds of Arabic style bread
olive oil
salt
A day before you want to serve this dish start on your pickles and have them ready.
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dried chickpeas on it and toss with olive oil, salt, and zaatar. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, shaking the tray periodically to move the chickpeas around, until they're crunchy. Allow to cool.
While they're cooking, slice your bread rounds in half horizontally so you have 2 round halves for each piece. Cut them into squares, triangles, rectangles - the size of tortilla chips, perfect for scooping up the hummus. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Once the chickpeas are out of the oven, pop these in and cook for 8-10 minutes, until crispy and golden. Allow to cool.
To assemble to board, spread out the hummus on a serving board or platter, creating a swirling pattern. Top this with all of your pickles, then the radishes, then the chickpeas, and finally the zaatar or oregano. Serve alongside the toasted bread.
