Blog checking lines: The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.
This month's Daring Cooks challenge is Mezze, which is basically a Middle Eastern take on Spanish tapas. The two required steps were to make homemade pita bread and homemade hummus.
The finished Mezze meal: Homemade Hummus, Homemade Pita Bread, Sweet and Sour Turkey, and Walnuts [missing: Olives].
First, I made the homemade Hummus. I honestly didn't care for it very much, I'm not sure what was off about it but I have definitely had better. It was a combination of texture and taste that turned me off.
The recipe follows:
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes.
1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)
additional flavorings (optional) I would use about 1/3 cup or a few ounces to start, and add more to taste
Directions:
1. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
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(The homemade pita bread)
The pita bread turned out great! It wasn't really that difficult of a bread recipe (as in it didn't require 12 hours of resting). The pita bread was really good, much better than store bought pita bread. I would definitely make this recipe again.
(courtesy of Michele from Veggie Num Nums)
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook
2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)
Directions:
1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.
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In addition to the hummus and pita bread, I also made a sweet and sour (kind-of) taco meat to add protein to the meal. To do this I just browned 1 lb. of ground turkey and then added in a sweet and sour recipe (which is supposed to be used with meatballs).
The recipe follows:
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
(recipe courtesy of halfassedkitchen from Tasty Kitchen)
Ingredients
1 pound Frozen, Pre-made Meatballs½ cups Onion, Chopped
¾ jars Heinz Chili Sauce
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch, Whisked Into 1/2 Cup Water
Ground Black Pepper
2-½ Tablespoons Rice Vinegar Or Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
Preparation Instructions
Mix all ingredients and let simmer over medium-low heat until onions are soft and meatballs are cooked through.If these are too zingy and not sweet enough for you, try adding a little pineapple juice or ketchup to the sauce.
Changes I made: I didn't have Heinz Chili Sauce so I used that Spicy Orange Asian Sauce and some ketchup. I heated all of the ingredients up in a seperate sauce pan and added it to the meat once it was cooked.
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We also served walnuts and olives in addition to the pita bread, hummus and sweet and sour turkey
